The Hogwarts Invasion
by A.Darkside
Summary: -DISCONTINUED- Lord Voldy's causing trouble and Koenma has the perfect team to send to investigate: Mika and her now separated demon pals! Will they help or just be a bigger problem for Hogwarts?
1. Ill Feelings

Greetings to ye, readers of IMM, new and old! For those who had previously read the last fic, _Inside My Mind_, you'll understand this. If you're a newbie, go back and read the first story, or else everything will be wayyyyy confusing. This is almost one year after the first IMM story, so Mika and Ayumi are sixteen now. The perfect age to go into 6th year, eh?

**Summery**: HP/YYH: Lord Voldy's causing trouble and Koenma has the perfect team to send to investigate: Mika and her now separated demon pals! Will they help or just be a bigger problem for Hogwarts?

Ah, such fun I have in store for my little buddies.Yes...hehe. Anyway, this story will take place in Harrys 6th year(as expected) and will be following the story line for that year pretty much...except I may tweak it a little. This idea (HP crossover) is over-used, yes, but it hasn't been done _Inside My Mind_ style, has it? Enjoy.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter or Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do own the whole Inside My Mind idea, including Mika, Ayumi, all their original friends and foes.  
**Warnings**: spoilers for the sixth book, crude humor, violence, language and the occasional Karasu-bashing from Mika...poor Karasu. lol!

**&&&&&&&&**

It was a dark night, one with fog as thick as soup. There were no lights to speak of, save some that were illuminating a medium size factory a short distance away from the street. The lights of the building glowed with a supernatural essence. It had the unwritten words of do not enter all over it.

A lone figure walked rigidly towards the looming structure. As he moved in and out of the glow of the strange lights, one could see he was wearing a bowlers cap. Upon his shoulders was an emerald green cloak that seemed very out of date for the current time. Mist shot of his mouth continuously as he panted nervously. His eyes darted around the area, as if looking for an attacker or perhaps something even more ominous.

He wasn't very conspicuous, however. It was very obvious he was headed to the strange building. He looked up at several times as he continued his brisk walk down the sidewalk. When he finally reached the gravel driveway, his walk had risen to a clumsy run. He didn't stop until he reached the chained and padlocked entrance doors on the side of the building were the glow from the lights did not reach entirely.

With trembling hands, he touched the cool metal of the chains. The moment he did so, they heated up to an uncomfortable level. The man gulped visibly and pulled gently on the chains. They shook and suddenly pulled away from him. He gasped in surprise when they pulled him physically forward...straight through the doors.

He yelped in fear when he came out the other side. Shaking, he looked around, his eyes wide like a trapped animal. Inside was like a warehouse, with mounds of crates and brown boxes covering the ground. The smell of sawdust and the musty scent of abandonment was everywhere.

"Calm down, Fudge," came a cool voice.

The man, going stiff, lost some of his fearful expression. "Where are you?" he asked.

Out of the darkness, to the Fudge's left, came a young man in a blue Asian outfit, dressed up with a red scarf. He had the look of authority and royalty, but when studied further, it was clear he had a child's binkie in his mouth.

"A-ah, Lord Koenma!" said Fudge, laughing nervously. He pointed at the door, as if playing along with a joke. "Wonderful trick with the door. I see you still go for the top of security."

Koenma, frowning, said nothing. Instead, he sat back on a crate. With expectant eyes, he motioned for Fudge to sit as well.

Obeying the younger man, Fudge sat back on one of the boxes next to him. He clapped his hands nervously.

"Lets make this quick, shall we?" he suggested lightheartedly. "We're both important people and have many important things to handle, yes?"

Koenma snorted very unprofessionally. "_I'm _important, to say the least. Is it not true you were...as you foreigners say...sacked?" he reminded his companion coldly.

Fudge winced at the harsh words. "Er, yes. I have been succeeded by a very capable individual for the position of Prime Minister of Magic," he agreed, though he sounded very bitter. "The people seem to have found my leadership...ah..."

"Spent?" added Koenma, unmoved. His brow furrowed as he scowled. "Speaking of which, what exactly _are _you wizards planning to do about this mess of yours?"

"We're doing the best we can," replied Fudge, defensively. "And this problem, as you call it, is much yours as it is ours."

Koenma rolled his eyes. "Yes, that's why I called you here. The magical population here in Japan is very concerned about _your _evil lord, Voldemort," he ignored Fudge's grimace, "and we have to demand that you handle it. The border between Western and Eastern magical cultures has been closed for many centuries. We'd rather not have to open it just to solve a deranged mad man."

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is not your ordinary criminal, my dear sir!" cried Frudge. He looked angry. "He has slaughtered hundreds and plans to kill even more! No one, not even your side of magic, is safe anymore!"

Frowning, Koenma said, "I thought he was supposed to be dead."

Fudge winced again. "We've made some miscalculations."

"Obviously."

Both leaders stared at each other, judging and critical. Fudge, older and a stress-worn face; Koenma, young and serious. Both slowly came to the mental agreement that arguing would not aid either of them.

"I have received some information," began Koenma finally. "That your savior, the Potter boy, has made contact with Voldemort. Is that true?"

Struggling not to wince, Fudge nodded. "Potter has been misjudged this past year. He has invaluable information concerning He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," he explained. "He's just about to start his sixth year at Hogwarts."

"The magic school," mused Koenma, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"The safest place a wizard or witch can be at this time," added Fudge.

"And that is because Dumbledore is there, correct?"

Fudge smiled wryly. "One of many."

Koenma sighed and looked away from the older man. "I see," he murmured softly.

Taking this time to speak up again, Fudge said, "Lord Koenma, as much as my associates and I agree that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is a problem specifically in the Wizarding community, I must be blunt. It will not stay that way for long. He has been attacking Muggle dwellings continuously these past few weeks. Once he conquers the Western world---God Forbid---he will not be hesitant about attacking your realm!"

Slightly surprised at the urgency in the man's voice, Koenma turned back to him. "I am aware of the possibilities of an attack on the East, something I'm sure your Dark Lord would not miss in his calculating," replied Koenma. His eyes narrowed. "Am I correct when I say you want me to send some...reinforcements?"

Fudge frowned. "I'm not asking for troops or legions of warriors, Koenma," he said. "Just your word you will fight him.

"Coming from you, that was almost humorous," muttered Koenma. He shook his head slowly. "I can't help but think, though. Perhaps you are right. The Eastern Magical community should be prepared for an attack. As envoy from my father, I'd like to say this on his behalf: we dont want any unnecessary casualties." He had a suggesting look his eyes. "There is enough unrest in our political system as it is," he added.

"Hopefully it will not come to asking you or your father of anything except to be on your toes," assured Fudge. He paused. "Lord..._Voldemort_," he struggled to say and flinched afterwards, "should not be underestimated. I give you that advice as a fellow leader, even if my term...has come to an end."

Koenma chuckled. "And I say to you, as a fellow leader: do not underestimate my people's reactions to this dark lord. I can't say that my father will agree to jump into any war, but I can assure you that we will never join causes with Voldemort."

Fudge visibly relaxed and a weak smile came to his face. "That is most appreciated," he said.

Smiling back, Koenma nodded. "Would that be all you have come to talk about?" he asked mildly.

"Yes," replied Fudge, getting up. "That's all."

Looking at him expectantly, Koenma said, "I'll be getting in touch in a short while, after I speak with my father. Until then, would it be permissible to send some of my own informants into your...old juristiction?"

Fudge wavered. "I do not think it would be a problem, but I hope you will be discrete about it," he warned. "I no longer have power over the laws."

"I know. I'll make sure my people won't cause too much of a disturbance," promised Koenma.

Giving him a wary look, Fudge got up, placed his hat upon his head and walked back to the magical doors. He grasped the chains again. In an instant, he was sucked back outside into the dark night.

Koenma stared after the ex-Prime Minister of Magic. His expression was tight with worry. He looked upwards at the dark ceiling.

"Botan!"

The said ferry-girl immediately flew down, seated on her oar. She had an identical look of worry. "My lord?" she asked.

"I think we have a problem," murmured Koenma. "Unfortunately, I know who can solve it."

Botan tilted her head in confusion. "And thats a bad thing?" she asked.

Koenma grimaced. "Yes, because of just who those individuals are..." He sighed heavily. "Call Yukina. I have a job for her," he instructed.

Still confused, Botan nodded warily. "Alright." She turned the front of the oar to her side and flew off, out a broken window into the night. The prince of the spirit world, still frowning, stood.

"So much for a time of normalcy," he complained to no one in general.

With another heavy sigh, he waved his hand. A glowing portal appeared instantly. With out a second look, Koenma walked through the swirling energy. The portal closed right after him, leaving the dim lighted building once again in a sense of forbiddenness and darkness.

**&&&Several Miles Away, Out Skirts of Tokyo&&&**

Alone in the middle of a large forest was a decent sized dojo. The thickness of the night was lighter in this area, but it was still quite tense, as warmly lit lanterns lined the ceiling on the porch. The courtyard was almost completely void of any signs of movement, save the gentle blowing of the wind. The wooden foundations of the main building groaned as they settled. Far off in the distance, an owl hooted softly.

Suddenly, there was another sound. Light footsteps quickly approaching the courtyard filled the quiet night air. Now and again, there was a rustle of leaves as the person ran through the woods.

With a quiet thump, a figure landed almost gracefully in the center of the stone courtyard. They looked around, eyes penetrating the darkness for extra company. Their hair was tied up into a pony tail, but strands flailed helplessly in the breeze.

A rustle from the brush sent the figure spinning. Nothing came out of the forest on any side of the dojos borders. The figure sighed.

The relief was short lived, however, as something small and dark shot up above the figure. The one on the ground, quickly looked up when they too realized it, but it was too late. The flying figure came up to the grounded one and promptly kicked them clear across the courtyard, straight through some saplings on the border and then soundly smacked against a large pine.

"Constant vigilance, you stupid girl!" hissed the figure from the air, who had landed neatly on the ground. It was an old woman.

The girl, struggling to get up against the tree, hissed. "Damn it, Sensei, did you have to kick me so hard?" she cried, sounding very much like a young girl.

The older woman snorted. "Any opponent you may come up against is **_not _**going to let you get back up after an attack like that. By this time, you'd be dead."

"Grr..." the girl stood up completely and wiped the dribble of blood from her lips. "Like I'm ever going to get flung against a tree!"

"How doesa concrete wall sound?" asked the sarcastic teacher.

"You know what I mean, Genkai-sama!"

"This is pointless. Your lack of seriousness is unbelievable," Genkai muttered, walking back to the dojo porch. "Its almost pointless to continue this..."

"_Almost_," countered the girl, smirking as she followed her teacher. "You and Lord Binkie both are dying to know what I can do, aren't you?"

Genkai scowled. "That arrogance of yours will get you killed, foolish girl. You may be the only half-ling in several centuries, but that doesnt mean you get any special attention from me."

"Bite me!" replied the girl, making a face at the older woman.

In an instant, Genkai had turned and punched the gril straight in the face. The girl yelped and flew back, her hands latching onto her face.

"OW! DAMMIT!"

"_Constant _vigilance," muttered Genkai. She hopped up onto the porch and opened the sliding door.

"What about my training?" demanded the girl, suddenly recovering from the attack.

Genkai snorted again. "When you can take this seriously and actually pay attention, we can try this again."

With that, she slammed the door shut. The girl scowled at the door. After a moment, she let out a low aggravated sigh and marched over to the entrance. For some reason, she never could appreciate the extra effort for training her skills her friends made for her. It was disrespectful and she knew it. But, somehow the idea of training just struck her as amusing. The girl sighed again. She'd just have to try tomorrow...

"Mika Murasaki...you're an idiot."

Mika looked up, surprised. Above her, sitting up high on the entryway, was a dark man with a strange metal shape over his mouth and nose. His eyes gleamed with annoyance.

"What do you want, Karasu?" asked Mika, crossing her arms. She was in no mood for him.

Karasu leaned over the side, his long black hair falling like a curtain. "I happen to live here, unfortunately," he replied cooly. Ever since the incident was over with, he had been condemned to live there by Koenma as punishment for his previous crimes. "And I also just happened to witness your brilliant display of stupidity."

"Shut up," muttered Mika. She looked down at her feet. She did not need a guilt trip from _him_. "I'm having a bad day."

With absolutely no sympathy on his half-covered face, Karasu dropped down in front of the girl. He did not look amused.

"You are part demon, brat. You would not have lasted five minutes in the Makai!" he hissed.

"Like I haven't heard that before!" Mika shouted back. She glared. "And I have the same damn answer: I don't care! I'll never live there. Hell, I'll never even go there! I want to live as a human!"

Karasu snorted. "Do you now? Then, what was all that begging for extra training?"

Mika glared harder. "I want my powers for protection, namely from creeps like you."

"I could kill you right here and now, and you wouldn't even have the chance to blink," threatened Karasu.

"Then go ahead, punk!" taunted Mika.

Both of them delivered the other death rays. Deep inside, however, both knew that they'd never really attempt to murder one another. There was a bond between them---which they firmly denied---that was created after the incident, over one year ago...

"BLOOD SHED!" came a shrill, cheerful voice from above them.

Looking up, both saw it was another man, come flying down. On his back were a set of wings. His long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. He landed next to Mika and hugged her.

"Mika-chan!"

Mika rolled her eyes and pulled away. "Nice to see you too, Kuronue. New set of clothes?"

Kuronue grinned and flaunted his new black t-shirt and jeans. "K-chan bought them for me!" he said, referring to their other friend Kurama.

"Cool. It's nice to know you're not running around in rags anymore. Kinda creepy, in a pedophile way."

"Back to the serious conversation, Karasu began steely. "The brat here is having _issues _with her training."

Kuronue frowned. "That's not good," he said. He looked genuinely concerned. "What's the problem?" he asked Mika.

Mika shuffled guiltily on her feet. "Well...it's not like I don't wanna...I suppose you could call it lack of motivation."

Karasu growled and raised a fist. "Is this motivation enough for you?"

"Nyahh, not quite!" Mika mocked, making a face at him.

Kuronue laughed as he restrained Karasu from physically attacking the young half-ling. "Just like old times!" he said, grinning.

Mika scowled. "Yeah, but this time, I've got my body back." she said, looking down at her hands. A smile appeared on her face.

It had been a whole year since their ordeal, but little had changed. They bugged each other to the points of break downs, teased each other cruelly and took much joy in ruining the others' day. Yet...every once in a while, Mika would feel a twitch in her mind. The boys would sometimes describe a pull towards Mikas aura. They knew it was dangerous to be so near each other...but it also bothered them to be apart. Like half of their souls were apart.

"Feh," Karasu muttered, jerking away from Kuronue. He stomped over to the porch. "Get out of my sight, you eye sore."

"Was he speaking to me or you?" asked Mika jokingly to Kuronue, who shrugged.

"BOTH OF YOU!"

"But I live here!" protested the bat demon.

"DONT REMIND ME!"

Mika giggled. Karasu glared daggers at her, turned away and went into the main house, departing with a slam.

"He's just so damn cheerful, ain't he?" jested Mika.

Kuronue laughed. "Oh yes. He certainly is," he replied.

Both of them laughed good heartedly. Mika then looked at her watch. "Oh crap! Its almost midnight!"

"Better go home then," suggested Kuronue, who had one foot up on the porch. He paused and then looked somewhat serious.

"Mika, about your training," he said. He frowned. "Can you be a little, tinesy bit more serious about it?"

Mika blinked. "...why do you and Karasu care so much about me and my powers?" she finally asked. Kurama and Hiei also acted the same way, Hiei being somewhat violent when doing so.

Kuronue shrugged. "I guess the others feel a little guilty cause we did turn you into what you are," he said, scrathing his head. "I for one don't wanna see you get your butt kicked by some rookie demon. Kinda degrading from our view point."

"What am I, your ego booster? Well, SCREW YOU!" shouted Mika angrily, shaking her fist at the full blooded demon. She let out an aggravated yell, spun around on her heels and marched off to the gate.

Looking at her disappearing form, the bat demon sighed softly.

_She had better shape up that attitude towards training, or she'll really be in trouble someday_, he thought as he opened the door. _After all this time, I thought she had really accepted her other side. _He sighed again and went in, closing the door quietly behind him.

High above the dojo and the court yard, sitting neatly in a thick tree, sat a short man with glowing red eyes. His name was Hiei, one of the demons who was connected to Mika as well. He had observed the training, Mika's outburst and the short fighting. He was not amused.

_Stupid child_, he muttered mentally as his gazed continued down to where Mika had just jumped onto a large hand made of shadow at the end of the stair case. As she flew off into the night, the demon's eyes narrowed. Her actions are becoming much too reckless. With her powers connected to her emotions, there will be a huge problem if she really did get caught up in a battle with a high level demon. Hiei growled slightly. Mika had always been a pest. She was an even larger one with her own body.

The wind blew around him, shaking the trees violently. The short demon shivered involuntarily. _What was...?_ he began to think, bewildered. It was like an ominous gesture made by fate. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up. His hand to to his sword out of instinct.

After a moment, he realized there was no one attacking him, at least at the present moment in time. Hiei scowled. His mind was playing tricks on him. Yet, his survival instincts told better.

_That was an omen_, he realized. An ill omen.

Hiei quickly dispersed his negative thoughts. An image of Kuwabara appeared in his mind, which made him gag. If he started to believe in foolish things such as omens or fate, he'd turn into that baffoon. He shuddered at the thought.

With one last quick glance over at the dojo, which was unearthly quiet, he vanished into the night, forgetting his feelings of ill and the mistakes of his ex-host.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

-Fudge and Koenma had met before. I would suspect they would have had regular meetings at some point in time, considering both were in charge of a large population of magical beings (demonic ones as well, in Koenmas case).  
- political unrest, Koenma is talking about how the demon world tournament had ended and how the whole one-leader deal was still shaky. I don't know if that would be true after YYH ended, but hey, I'm writing this story. Lol  
-Itmay beone year after the first story, but Mika's still new to demon stuff. Luckily, she knows Genkai, who's willing to train her. The guys are also excellent to train and talk to for guidance (man that sounded corny)  
-HOLY SHIT, I suddenly lost my ability to write Genkai. O.O She seemed so OOC! GRAAHH! (bangs head on desk)  
-Did any one notice how intelligent and serious Kuronue was? It won't last, I promise. :D  
-Hiei...um...he just didn't turn out right. Bleh.  
-please excuse any typos in this chapter. editting thing really sucks ass for some reason. It's deleting all my apostrophes and punctuation marks...wahhhh!

OMG, did anyone notice my sudden change of writing? IT'S ALMOST MATURE, LOL! XD I was inspired by my absolute favorite author, JoIsBishMyoga, author of the kick ass YYH/HP fan fiction, _The Best Defense_. She rocks! Since reading her stories, I suppose I've taken a new approach to writing my stories. They'll be written with a more professional approach.

That turned out great:D I cant wait to start of the next chapter. My school work may influence when I finish, though. High schools harder than I anticipated, especially being in honors classes. Ah well, I'll try my best.

REVIEW AND I' LL LOVE YOU PEOPLE EVEN MORE:D


	2. Messages of Unfriendly Doom

BONJOUR!

**Skye **- lol! nooo not the dust bunnies! ...and yes, Draco will face the wrath of Ayumi (mostly) who promptly puts him in his place. :D  
**Bishquet**- holy hell, you just MADE my day, lmao! "Batman Kuronue..." Omg, that seriously sent me out of my chair laughing...hooo...lol  
**Meiza **- I'm a little nervous about IMM/HP too, but I really wanted to write a crossover at some point...and if I didn't write it, my brain would have imploded with all these ideas, lol! And Karasu and Kuronue's imprisonment...yes, its a little random, but Genkai's dojo is the only big place where those two destructive demons could be forced to stay in. Ask yourself, what's worse: stuck living at some old woman's house or instant death? Maybe those two have brains after all...lol! And yes, Mika is immature, but she isn't stupid. She's just having second thoughts about her "demonhood". And Ayumi and Ms. Ryoko are coming back...well, Ms. Ryoko for only a little bit. She's not really gonna appear much...(cries) But she'll still be there at some points! I'll find a way!

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS:D Nearly thirty of them...HOT DAMN! lol...

And do you not love the chapter title? XD Ehh, I'm weird...

**Disclaimer**: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Yu Yu Hakusho belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi and IMM belongs to me.  
**Warnings**: crude humor, mild language, violence, slight OOC, and the occasional gay-bashing...sorry! D:

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Mika Murasaki had seen a lot of things in her short life. Spirits in her attic, chaotic demons and even revenge-obsessed dead guys who had too much time on their hands. She had faced peril and life-or-death situations throughout the past year...and she wouldn't trade it for the world.

"Demons would be the one thing a normal person would have run from. Instead, you embrace them," commented her best friend Ayumi one day.

"Who said I was a normal person?" replied Mika with a grin.

Her powers had advanced greatly. She could summon her Hands in an instant---from any shadow in a twenty meter range of her. Summoning shadows to throw or manipulate was a breeze. Creating humanoid forms was her latest project, which she was getting extremely good at. Ayumi still refused to travel with Mika while using 'whisping', but Mika still had a few kinks to work out with that move.

Still, even after all her great leaps forward with her powers, those who were far more experienced than her looked down upon her. Those who had caused her to get those powers were especially fierce. Even Kurama, the nice one, was very strict about her training herself. Karasu and Hiei were absolutely barbaric, attacking her at random times when she least expected it. Kuronue would be a little nicer, but he also could be cruel. Why they acted the way they did bothered her. She couldn't understand why they cared so much.

"Guilt," suggested Ayumi.

"WHAT guilt?" Mika cried. "They're demons! How the hell could demons feel _guilt_?"

Ayumi shrugged. "Dunno. I'm not a demon."

Her bizarre paranormal life aside, Mika had a lot to look forward to. Her sophmore year at high school was coming up. She had high hopes after finishing freshman year with all honors. Her parents were proud of her and respected her weirdness, finally. The best part of her normal life, Mika thought, was because a very special person.

_Kenji..._

He still remembered nothing of the fight with Aki (which was ever a good thing) and believed Mika and Ayumi's story of him beating off the stalker and saving the day. Mika always mentioned how brave he was (causing most around them to gag) and Kenji enjoyed the attention. They went out several more times that summer, ignoring Mika's mentors' momments.

"IF YOU GET PREGNANT, I'M KICKING YOUR ASS!" both Ayumi and Karasu had threatened.

"Slut," Hiei had muttered darkly.

"..." Kurama simply shook his head.

"MIKA AND KENJI BABIES! Ew!" Kuronue had cried.

Even their slightly-vulgar taunting did not wear Mika's infatuation with Kenji down. He respected her for her personality and she liked that a lot. But there was something bothering her...what if he had ever found out about her powers?

"Say bye-bye to that love affair," replied Karasu harshly. "If he finds out you're a demon, its game over."

"Yeah..." she would reply, all too aware how accurate the demon was.

She had yet to tell her own parents about the side effects from her possession dilemma. Only Ayumi, Ralph and Ms. Ryoko knew (the doctor knowing only very little about it). They were okay with her psychic side, but Mika doubted her practical parents would ever go that far in accepting her as a demon hybrid. Ayumi urged her, however, to tell them eventually.

"It will only be worse if you keep it secret from them," Ayumi would say.

"Give me a little longer. I'll tell them, someday," Mika would reply.

So, she spent her days living like every average girl would. During her weekends, she'd train with her demonic and psychic friends. It balanced out. She was completely happy about how everything worked out and for an entire year, everything stayed perfect. That is, until three months before the first anniversary of her first great adventure...

**&&&&&&&**

Summer was a lovely time, but Mika found it somewhat...terrifying. Her demonic companions could now stop by and harrass her at anytime, now that school was out. Mika feared going out for any reason. Ayumi would let her hide out at her house, but the trip over there was hazardous in itself. Karasu liked to set land mines...

In any case, summer was not very pleasant for poor ol' Mika. She was amazed when she made it to the middle of August alive and in one piece. Her parents could not understand why their daughter was celebrating making it to the end of summer, but they had a hunch why. Ayumi and Ralph shared a laugh at their friend's expense, who promptly cursed them off.

It was one very dull morning in August that made Mika wish very hard that she could just fast forward time to get back to school. It was on that morning that she received a very peculiar phone call.

"Hello," a tired voice greeted her.

"Who's this?" she spoke into the phone, while lying on her bed. She thought it might be Ayumi.

"Mika, have you forgotten about me already?" Kurama's smooth, calm voice answered back clearly this time.

"Oh, Kurama! Hey, what's up, fox dude?"

"Nothing really to talk about. Kuronue's keeps asking if you're still mad at him."

Mika snorted. "For using me as an ego booster? Hell ya."

Kuruma chuckled. "Well, he apologizes."

"Tell him to shove off."

"Hmm."

"Ha...So...have you and the other Tantei had any interesting missions lately?"

Kurama paused, which Mika thought was odd. Then he said, "Actually that's why I called. I believe there's a new mission...but it's not from Koenma."

Mika sat up, interested. "Hmm. Do tell!"

"I just received a strange letter this morning. It smells like human, but I'm not so sure it was sent by one."

"What do you mean, strange?"

"Well, to start, an owl dropped it off on my desk."

"An owl?" Mika's tone was deadpan.

"Yes."

"That is such a prank."

"It doesn't smell like Yusuke or Kuwabara, but I might need a second opinion."

Mika suddenly realized why Kurama called. "You want me to double check?"

Kurama chuckled slightly. "You do have remarkable talent in that area," he said, referring to Mika's extra powerful smelling abilities.

Getting up, the brunette teen walked over to her bedroom door and walked out into the hallway. "I don't know if I could go over to Tokyo today, Kurama. My parents are out, but I don't know when they'll be ba—"

She stopped in the living room, her eyes fixed on her front door, near the mail slot.

Kurama heard her inhale sharply. "What's wrong?"

"...Kurama..." Mika bent over and picked up one of the envelopes. "Change of plans. Get the others and meet me in Koenma's office. I think I got the same letter."

**&&&&&&& downtown Tokyo, that moment &&&&&&**

Hiei hated to be around humans more than he had to be, but they were everywhere. He could not get into the Makai as easily as he had hoped to, so he was stuck in the human world for the rest of the summer. It did give him time to bug Mika into training more properly, as the little brat had successfully pissed off Genkai to the point that she needed to improve before the infamous teacher would accept her again.

Leaping from building top to building top, Hiei tried desperately to avoid the noises and smells from the city. He was no longer confined to its limits. Koenma had removed that punishment. He did find it useful to be in the area, as he found it a necessity to check up on the detective and his little friends, as they always seemed to get into apocalyptic messes every other day. It was always good to be close by your allies, as well.

Hiei flitted around, carefully avoiding the bustling humans and their monstrous vehicles that produced way too much smoke. His eyes, keen as ever, spotted a mass of green that stood out in the midst of all the buildings. It was a park. Relieved, he changed his direction. Darting past an oblivious group of humans, he launched himself up in the nearest tree. It was very tall and the leafy branches could easily hide him from onlookers. He picked his spot and settled in, bringing his sword to his hand.

Resting up in the top branches of a tree, Hiei was attempting to catch up on the sleep he had lost during the week. Unknown to his other companions—he dared not call them friends—Hiei had been spending most of his time coming up with a schedule. It wasn't for him, to be precise. It was for a very annoying girl that he had taken interest in due to her powers.

_She'd better be grateful_...Hiei thought darkly, with he eyes closed. _I don't even know why I care about that little human wench!_

Suddenly, he smelt something approach. It wasn't a demon, however, it was an lesser species of animal.

He opened his blood red eyes and looked up. It was a bird, quite ordinary. Or was it? Hiei recognized it as a Ningenkai species...an owl. Weren't they supposed to be asleep during the day?

Hiei watched it fly above him, wondering vaguely if he should shoot it down. It then dropped something from its claws. It hit Hiei right in the face and slid off.

_Stupid bird... _He scowled, picking what the bird had dropped up. It was a letter. _What the...?_

_To Mr. Hiei Jaganshi  
__Upper Branch, Tallest Tree  
__Tokyo City Park  
__Tokyo, Japan_

Hiei raised an eyebrow. What the hell?

He ripped it open and read its contents quickly. (Yes, he could read. Knowledge was just as needed as brute strength in the Makai.) After a moment, the short fire apparition stood, crumpling the papers in his hand.

Sleep could wait.

Then, tossing the paper over his shoulder but keeping the rest of the envelope, Hiei disappeared. He needed to pay a certain prince a visit.

**&&&&&&&&&& Akita, Japan &&&&&&&&&&**

Ayumi had successfully dodged chore time. Her mother had tired herself out from a night of partying and had spent most of the pleasant day sleeping. That left Ayumi to enjoy the precious days of summer in front of her house, happily eating watermelon and sipping lemonade.

_Whoo, I am loving summer_, she thought happily, smirking as she filled her glass up once again from a pitcher.

No mom, no school and no pesky demons...the last part was something she had grown accustomed to over the last few months. Being around Mika and making sure the poor girl didn't get beat up too severely by her ex-mind guests was a full time job most of the time. She didn't mind, however. It gave her a chance to experiment with her own pyrokinetic abilities, those that had not exactly progressed far but still were useful.

She fingered the red necklace around her neck absentmindedly. It was something the Underworld officials had missed out on when they demanded the return of the Red Stone Amulet last year. She grinned wickedly. It was a nice little trinket that let her use her fire abilities. Hiei had told her before that pretty soon, if she practiced religiously, she wouldn't even need it to summon heat. She liked that idea. It did help to have your own defensive power when you hung around destructive demons daily.

"Hmmm...what to do today..." she mused, watching a collection of bees hover over her mother's less-than-tidy flower garden. She and Mika had come up with a plan to go to the nearby convenience store to buy some pocky, but Ayumi would bet anything some "demonic" chaos had happened and thus resulted in the cancellation of their plans.

Something caught her eyes. It wasn't Ralph, who had been grounded for the next few days for after breaking a window on his house, nor was it Mika. Ayumi blinked. Either Kuronue had grown feathers or...

"AHHH, DEMONIC OWL!"

Ayumi screamed again, dodging a form of feathers and claws that swooped over her head. She knocked over the pitcher of lemonade in an attempt to reach the front screen door. The owl had hooted aggressively and flew off at her again. Struggling to open the stubborn door, Ayumi almost didn't see the owl come to a rest on one of the porch chairs and coo passively. She stopped attacking the door and stared at the bird warily. It wasn't attacking her and it certainly seemed like an ordinary owl...but that was the point. It was too ordinary. Also, owls didn't fly during the day...Ayumi blinked. Since when were there owls in her neighborhood?

The owl inched over towards her, holding its leg out while balancing with its wings. Ayumi saw then it was carrying a letter, tied neatly to its rough leg. She hesitantly reached for it and untied it quickly. The owl stared at her with a bored expression.

"Bite me," Ayumi muttered, glaring at it. It hooted in an annoyed fashion and flew off to the porch railing, where it continued to watch her.

Ayumi stared at the letter. It seemed official, but the way it was addressed scared her.

_Ms. Ayumi Takei  
__Front Porch  
__Takei Residence  
__Akita, Japan_

She stared at it, her eyes not moving from the front of the envelope.

Then...

"MIKKKKKAAAAAAAA!"

**&&&&&&&&&&&& Genkai's Temple &&&&&&&&&&**

In a flash of speed and splinters, a decent sized log was sent spiraling into the air, promptly falling into several pieces when it hit the ground. A familiar dark figure leaped down a few feet away. It was Karasu. His hair was tied back, to keep it away from his face when he trained. He also had taken off his long overcoat and replaced it for a loose, white shirt.

He had been at it all day. The crow demon had specifically planned his activities to pointedly avoid his two housing companions. Genkai had drifted away around dawn to go to the Spirit world to "have a talk" with Koenma. Karasu had a vague idea that her idea of talking would have the Prince in tears in only a few seconds.

Karasu had also planned to avoid Kuronue, who just loved to annoy the more aggressive demon. Luckily for Karasu, Kuronue had planned on training by himself in a deeper part of the forest that surrounded the dojo and eventually make his way to Kurama's house. Karasu was very much pleased to find out he would have the dojo to himself. After thinking about it several moments later, he realized there was something wrong.

_Where is the midget's sister?_ he thought as he lined up more logs of wood.

The ice maiden, Yukina, lived at the dojo as well. She tended to avoid Karasu (she had reportedly told Botan that he frightened her to an extent) but was happy around Kuronue who liked to joke with her. Hiei had not taken it well that Karasu and Kuronue would be so close to his estranged sibling, but he could do nothing about it except fume.

It was strange that she was gone, though. Yukina was always up early to make breakfast (something Karasu did not partake in). This morning, she had just not showed up. Genkai was not the least bit surprised and ignored Kuronue's questioning about it.

Karasu stretched and stared back at the lonely dojo, which was visible from his spot amongst the trees, and shook his head. He didn 't care who showed up there or didn't. He didn't know how long he would be forced to stay there with his bizarre companions, but he knew it would be a while. Maybe if he bribed the Prince...

"BONSAI!"

Eyes widening, Karasu barely managed to leap away before a large mass of purple and black came tumbling down on where he was previously standing. He hissed.

"STUPID BAT!"

"Hiya!" Kuronue laughed, standing up straight. He yelped and dodged a punch Karasu aimed for him. "HEY! I was just trying to cheer you up!"

"_Cheer _me up? YOUR FACE **REVOLTS **ME, SO HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY **CHEER **ME UP?"

Kuronue stopped. "I revolt you?"

"HELL YES!" yelled Karasu, seething with rage.

"Wait, is that good or bad?" Kuronue asked, scratching his head.

Karasu let out a yell of anger, turned on his heels and stormed off for the dojo. His day of peace just came crashing down. Now that the Bat had found him, he'd never get a moment's peace!

Kuronue would not leave him be and insisted on running after him. "Wait, Kara-chan, I need to tell you something—!"

Turning faster that the other demon could blink, Karasu was glaring daggers directly in Kuronue's face. "**_WHAT_ **did you just CALL ME?"

"Kara-chan?" Kuronue suggested.

"WHAT THE **HELL **IS UP WITH THAT NAME?"

"Mika called you that one day when we were hanging out—!"

Karasu's dark eyes twitched in unison before he howled, "MURASAKI!" He spun around and ran at top speed for the dojo. Once he got his coat on, he was sooo paying the little brat a visit that would surely leave her crippled for her next few centuries of extended life...

"WAIT A SECOND!" he heard Kuronue shout behind him.

"SAVE IT, BAT! I HAVE A HALF-LING TO MURDER!" Karasu shot back, leaping onto the porch of the dojo. He slammed the door open and quickly reached for his black over coat he had taken off for practice.

"BUT THERE'S A—!"

Karasu leaped out of the room without a second thought...and collided in mid air with something tiny, feathery and it had claws...

"OW!"

He fell back, several cuts appearing on his face, his mask deflecting most of them. The demon quickly recovered and let out an animalistic growl of anger. What dared to affront him like that? His eyes must have been playing tricks on him.

It was an owl.

He stared at it, unsure. Kuronue had stopped in mid-run a couple of feet away from the creature, surprised as well. The bird flapped its large wings in agitation, clearly upset about the collision as well. It had a domesticated aura, however. Tied to its leg was a cream colored envelope.

"The hell?" asked Karasu, getting up, wary. Owls would normally sleep during the day and they would never just appear before a person with a letter attached to them.

"See? I told you to wait!" exclaimed Kuronue childishly, crossing his arms.

Ignoring him, Karasu observed the owl carefully. It was waiting for him to approach it. He assumed that the letter it carried was for him or for the Bat. But...why?

"Why is that thing carrying a letter?" he asked aloud.

"I dunno. Another one came up to me today and that's why I went to find you," informed Kuronue. He frowned. "It smells human but both owls reek of magic. It's strange."

"The only strange thing here is that I actually could understand your babbling," muttered Karasu as he grabbed the owl roughly by its legs and ripping the letter off. He let go of the owl and brought the letter up to read.

_Mr. Karasu  
__Surrounding Woods  
__Genkai's Temple  
__Tokyo, Japan_

He stared at the letter, his half revealedface blank.

"Well?" Kuronue asked. "Ain't it weird?"

"...that Prince is going DOWN," Karasu threatened suddenly, his hand crushing the paper. He flung it over his shoulder and quickly put on his coat.

"We're going to the Spirit World?" asked Kuronue.

Karasu glared at him briefly over his shoulder. "I'M going to the Spirit World."

"And I'm coming!" cried Kuronue, grinning happily, thrusting his fist into the air.

"I wish you weren't..."

"Too bad!"

"Go die."

"Done it already."

"ARGH, LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"No."

"ARGH—!"

The two demons rushed down the stairs (Kuronue cheerfully chasing the angered Karasu) and continued their bickering all the way down. The day ruined, it was surely going to get much worse from there on in...

Only one thing was certain: Koenma was going to be fearing for his life quite shortly...

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

-Ohhhhhh, yes, Kenji is back, the bastard. Lol. I really don't like him either, but he is VERY necessary, at least until the final story of IMM (trilogy here people, couldn't avoid it). Ehehehe, why is something you'll all have to wait for.  
-lmao, "Mika and Kenji babies!" lol...XD  
-"very annoying girl that he had taken interest in" hmm, its not Mika...guess who that unfortunately lucky (lol) girl is! lol  
-XD "Kara-chan" Omg, I had that planned for a while...I have nicknames for everyone 'cept Hiei. (Kura-chan, Kuro-chan, Kara-chan...Mika's such a fool, lol)  
-I love Karasu and Kuronue in the same scene together. LOL they amuse me.  
-I also love the fact that Ayumi freaked out without even reading the _actual _letter, only the envelope. She really is paranoid...but I can't blame her.

Yay, chapter two is done! Kinda short...but at least I got it done! Don't you all just love me, lmao? Ah well...

**Next Chapter**: Koenma's got a loooot to worry about (five pissed off demons plus an angry psychic about to murder him)...oh and Yukina's importance is explained as well. Just what does the Prince of the Spirit World have up his sleeves for our darling demented six? Mwufufu, you must wait until chapter three!

PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEWS MAKE ME INSPIRED TO WRITE MORE!

_Au revoir, mes amies!_


	3. Mission Time

We just had to put my dog down. That's why it's taken so long and for other literary reasons. Bug me and I swear I will take this story down parentally. Thank you, very much.

**REVIEW ANSWERS  
****Lanie N.** - Salut! Oui, ça va bien! Ehehe, I just started French class this year. :D Merci!  
**Purple People Eater** - LOL! Yes, I was gonna work on a name for him. That's a good idea! "Hii-chan" or something...hmmm...lmao, "He-Man!"...inside joke...XD  
**Trisana Kara **- good job! most people didn't notice Kuwabaka and Yusuke didn't appear. They ARE there and Jin is coming too...but they won't be going to Hogwarts. What will they be doing? Ehehe, you shall see soon enough...(Hint: Yusuke's task will be my favorite part in the entire story!) And that's a funny idea! Demon owls...hmm...that's a good theory alright, lol!  
**Peeka-chan** - COOKIES! YAY! lol. :D Yeah, there will be a trilogy cause they still have two years of Hogwarts to finish, so its mandatory. And yep, its Ayumi. The whole pyro-thing really draws them together, lol.

A loooot of people seem to wish death to Kenji (but a some like him. WHY?) I don't like him very much either, but like I said before, he IS necessary later on. And I will work in some verrry light Ayumi/Hiei...maybe. If it fits. XD

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter or Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do own the whole Inside My Mind idea, including Mika, Ayumi, and all their original friends and foes.  
**Warnings**: spoilers for the sixth book, crude humor, violence, language and the occasional Karasu-bashing from Mika...poor Karasu. lol! CRUDE LANGUAGE IN THIS CHAPTER!

#Kurama#  
_'Mika'_

Ehehe, yes, it's time for those symbols again...

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Botan had to admit, though reluctantly, that things were not as destructively explosive as she thought they would have been. There were a lot of foul words and death threats being thrown around the room, however, but luckily there had been no bloodshed...yet.

"I'M GOING TO TURN YOU INTO A STUFFED BABY TO SELL IN KB TOYS!" screamed Mika, slamming her hands down on Lord Koenma's desk quite forcibly.

Koenma stared back, expressionless. "Is that the best you can say?"

"I'LL MURDER YOUR BINKIE AND HIDE YOUR FATHER!"

Ayumi gave her violent friend a look. "Um...what?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, DAMN YOU ALL!"

"What she says...only more intelligently!" hisses Kararsu, who was lurking in the back of the office. His purple eyes glinted with his desire to kill the prince. "This had better be some sick joke!"

Koenma glared at the demon, crossing his now tiny arms. "Do you really think I have time to be playing jokes on you morons?"

"I dunno—what _do _you do between nap time and your diaper change?" Ayumi asked sarcastically.

Kurama did not look amused, but didn't raise his voice. "Koenma-san, why did you send us these invitations..." he paused to look at the paper, "to a _magic _school?"

Kuronue was leaning on one of the chairs with a look of boredom on his face. "What's a school?" he asked.

In the other corner, which also happened to be the darkest, lurked Hiei. He had not said a word, but his death glares were enough. He had reason to be on edge, however, as the person standing with Botan by Koenma's desk happened to be his estranged sister, Yukina.

"Would you all let me speak first?" demanded Koenma.

Mika growled. "Every time you do, you end up spouting out things that give me hell every waking moment of my life!"

Botan frowned. "Now, now...Lord Koenma has a reason for this...predicament you are all in."

Koenma nodded. "Yes. Now, are you going to let me speak or not?"

A tense, thick silence followed. Mike was biting back whatever angry comment she had wanted to say. Ayumi and Kuronue wore identical expressions of utter boredom. Hiei and Karasu just slipped back deeper into their dark hovels, and Kurama stood patiently as always.

"Now," Koenma said, clearing his throat. "I know you all received letters, but some of them are fake. I just needed to get you all motivated to come here."

Karasu stepped up, hopeful. "Which ones were fake?"

"Namely, yours, Hiei's, Kurama's and Kuronue's."

"ARGGH! NO FAIR, YOU BASTARD!" Mika shouted, lunging at the mini-Lord, only to be restrained by Ayumi and Kurama.

Ayumi growled and threatened, "SAY SOMETHING GOOD BEFORE I LET GO!"

Unmoved, Koenma sweatdropped. "Alright...the four still will be going."

Mika immediately stopped and smiled. "Yay! They get to suffer, too!"

Karasu began to roll up his sleeves, "Okay, now it's my turn to murder the baby."

"WILL EVERYONE STOP TRYING TO MURDER ONE ANOTHER AND LISTEN TO THE GUY SO WE REALLY DO HAVE REASONS TO KILL HIM?" shouted Ayumi, backhanding the crow demon.

"WHY YOU—!"

"Why do I bother with you idiots..." muttered Koenma, shaking his head.

Mike glared at him. "I wonder, too. Why do you try to?"

That seemed to make something go off within Koenma's mind. "BECAUSE I HAVE TO DEAL WITH IDIOTS HERE AND THEN IDIOTS OVERSEAS WHO TRYING TO INILIATE HALF OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION , THAT'S WHY!" shouted Koenma.

They stared at him, surprised and mildly amused by his outburst. Mike frowned.

"Wait...say _what_?"

"Lord Koenma...should I show them?" asked Yukina suddenly, her quiet voice immediately softening the room's tension.

"Show us what?" demanded Ayumi.

Yukina blushed and Ayumi scowled. The others smirked at the death glare Hiei was sending the young pyrokinetic. Yukina might have been oblivious to the matter, but everyone else knew very well that Hiei was extremely protective of his twin sister.

"I'd like to see it, if it would help clear this situation up," added Kurama politely.

"See what?" asked Mika. As usual, she hated to be kept out of the loop.

Koenma sent her a glare to shut up. She countered it with making a very rude face that made Kurama tap her lightly on the head in reprimand. Kuronue was perking up. When Koenma pressed a button on his desk and a large TV screen appeared down from the ceiling behind him, the bat demon immediately clapped his hands like a little child.

"YAY, T.V.!"

Ayumi raised an eyebrow. Kurama sighed and explained, "Whenever he visits my house, he insists on watching television. He is practically in love with it. Drives Okassan nuts."

"Dear God, if he turns into an anime fan..." Mika murmured, eyeing the demon warily.

Kuronue stuck his tongue out at her. "T.V. is awesome! It's like being somewhere else, except not!"

Karasu glared hatefully at Kuronue. "Just die."

"Why?" asked the bat with innocent looking eyes.

"Just show us what you needed to show us," Ayumi muttered darkly to Koenma, trying to ignore the fist fight that had erupted behind her.

Yukina moved over to the screen, quiet and timid as ever. She lifted her hand up to her left shoulder and something hopped down on to her index finger, causing Ayumi to yell out in surprise. She had not even noticed the creature...which, on closer inspection, revealed it to be a small bird. It chirped quietly and was obviously distressed at how many people were now staring at it with such unsure expressions.

"It's alright," comforted Yukina softly to the bird. She smiled gently and held it up to the television screen. "Can you please show us what you saw?"

It made a soft sound, most likely a sign of agreement, and hopped over to the edge of her finger. It flapped its wings once and landed on top of the screen. It looked down on the screen. The whole room was quieter than a tomb.

"Wait a second, what's it—?" Mika began to ask, but Kurama 'sshed' her.

The screen flickered from black to static and then back to black. Everything grew quiet in the room again. Suddenly, an image popped up on the screen. Ayumi and Mika both leaned forward, eyes wide in amazement.

It was a young boy, approximately their age, with horrendously messy black hair and strange glasses on his face. He even appeared to be paler than Karasu, but that could have been the dim lights playing tricks. Whoever—or whatever—was taking this shot was outside the boy's window. From the looks of it, the boy was leaning against the window, sleeping quite soundly.

Mika stared at the screen, unsure of what to think of it. "Is that..._who _is that?" she asked softly.

"That would be your target," answered Koenma.

More silence.

"Wait a second—MY WHAT?"

"SSH!" Ayumi demanded, leaning farther over Koenma's desk to peer at the screen.

The image of the boy flickered occasionally, as if the camera was turning on and off. Koenma waved his hand and said, "Alright, pause it there."

The bird on top of the screen chirped indignantly, but flew over to Yukina's shoulder. The image stayed still on the screen. The boy had yet to even move once.

"Okay...is that bird a video camera?" asked Ayumi.

"Telepathy," said Hiei, surprising several around him.

"Jeez, I thought you had become part of the wall back there, Hiei. You gotta talk more often," Mika said sarcastically.

The fire demon glared daggers at her. "Shut up, Murasaki, and pay attention."

"I was until you interrupted me—!"

"AUGH, KNOCK IT OFF!" Ayumi screamed. She glared at Koenma. "Explain already!"

"Morons..." the tiny prince muttered darkly. He stood up in his chair and motioned towards the screen. "Alright. This is a glimpse at your first mission, Takei and Murasaki. How that works is this: I give you a goal and you complete it. Understand that much?"

Mika glowered at him. "And just WHY do I have to do ANYTHING for you?"

"And why am I even involved!" Ayumi demanded. "I'm not even a demon! Or part of one! I'm just a weak excuse for a cigarette lighter!"

Koenma glared her down. "Do you want to listen to this or not?" She huffed. "Right then..." Koenma looked back at the screen. "This boy is very special to many people. He is not a demon or psychic. He is what most would call a wizard."

Waving her hand furiously in the air, Mika had a false look of excitement on her face. "Oooh, oooh, is this where the Boogey Man and Santa Claus come into the story?"

Crossing his arms, Koenma ignored the girl's sarcasim. "There are many things out there besides just humans, demons and psychics. Wizards and witches have been around for centuries."

"Then they've got nothin' on us!" laughed Kuronue, grinning. "Demons have been around since the beginning of time, right?"

Kurama shrugged. "The origins of demons are still a mystery. We have been around longer than these wizards, I'm quite sure."

"Anyway," continued Koenma, "This boy is currently living in England. I trust you all know where that is."

Kuronue, Karasu and Hiei gave the tiny lord glares. Koenma cleared his throat. "...I trust the human affiliated ones of you know where that is."

"I suddenly have a bad feeling about this," Mika murmured to Ayumi.

The darker haired girl grimaced. "Just now? I've been having them ever since we got here!"

"The boy's name," Koenma nearly shouted, "Is Harry Potter. He's just about your age, Murasaki. That is why I bothered to summon you."

"Excuse me?" Mika demanded.

Ignoring her, Koenma continued, "He is currently attending a magical school known as Hogwarts. It is reportedly the safest place a person could ever be. However, the wizards have a been quite lacking is their security measures as of late and I suspect that the school isn't as safe as it once was."

Mika and Ayumi exchanged unsure glances. If he was hinting at what they thought he was...

"I want you," Koenma said, his expression grim, "To go to this school."

A long awkward pause filled the room.

Botan screamed and fell over when the desk in front of Koenma literally flew up and smashed into the opposing wall, crashing into the TV screen. Tiny glass shards shot in all directions. When she managed to sit up, she saw Mika being physically restrained by Kurama. Karasu was managing to keep the raging Ayumi away from the prince by simply keeping a hold on her shirt.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" screamed Mika.

Ayumi mirrored her best friend's facial look. "AND I'M GOING TO HELP!"

Koenma, who barely managed to duck from his flying desk, glared at both of the raging teenagers. "HEY! There's no need to get angry---well, maybe there is, but violence is a little extreme!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU EXTREME!"

Kurama sighed heavily. He looked over his shoulder at Karasu who was still restraining Ayumi. "This is a nightmare."

"I just can't wait to hear how _we're _involved in it," the crow demon replied darkly.

"You should just let the brats kill him," Hiei muttered.

Karasu snorted. "Tempting offer, but I'm still on probation."

"Kiss up."

"Self preservation."

"Shut up."

"Wait a second!" Kuronue exclaimed, snapping out of his silence. "If Mika and Ayumi go to a school...then we won't see each other for a long, long time!"

Karasu and Hiei exchanged looks. Being free of their human affiliates for a good nine months: good. Having their ex-host making a fool of herself by dying at the hands of some pathetically weak opponents: bad...at least for their reputation.

"Please!"

They all stopped their struggling and fighting, surprised at the soft voice that seemed to overpower all the ruckus. Yukina, hands folded, looked at them with a pleading expression. She looked upset.

"Please...is violence really necessary?" she asked softly.

"...no way is she you-know-who's you-know-what!" Mika whispered to Ayumi.

"Huh? What are you...OHHHH!" Ayumi replied, realizing what she meant. She looked over at Yukina again. "You're right. Absolutely no resemblance."

"...huh?" Yukina asked.

"Nothing of importance!" Kurama said cheerfully, ignoring the yells of Ayumi and Hiei as they engaged into full-out battle behind him. "You're right about the fighting, Yukina-san. I think a little more explaining should be done before we act up again."

Koenma shifted around his demolished desk and nodded at the fox spirit. "I would do that, but some certain idiots continue to keep me from it!"

"Augh...just talk, diaper boy..." Mika groaned, falling back and sitting in an exhausted position. "I can't win this anyway."

"Gee, that's the spirit," Karasu remarked dryly.

"Go take a suicide pill and die."

"No thanks."

"ANYWAY," Koenma nearly shouted to get their attention. "I know the idea of leaving your current lifestyles and home is a large favor to ask of you two...but I'm afraid the matter goes beyond being temporally inconvenienced."

"...like what, exactly?" Mika asked.

"Like keeping a madman who is based on destroying all normal humans in check."

"I **KNEW **IT HAD TO BE THE APOCALYPSE AGAIN!" Hiei shouted angrily, dodging Ayumi's rapid kicks.

"...again?" Mika asked Kurama, paling slightly.

"Part of the job," he offered, smiling weakly.

"Yes, and this job is important, Murasaki," Koenma continued, . "It's not just about keeping the castle or a mere boy's life safe...it's about keeping all non-magical beings safe and the Magic Borders secure." He sighed at her blank, confused face. "The Wizard's have a darklord who once was a real terror. Voldemort—that's his name—even threatened Eastern magical societies, which would bring in my father's involvement. That was all sixteen years ago. Just when things were looking the bleakest for him, a mission went horrible wrong and he was almost destroyed."

"Almost is never good," Mika commented. Now calmed down, it seemed she finally was getting the seriousness of the matter. "Then what happened?"

Koenma looked up at the screen. "That boy, Harry Potter, was the reason the dark lord failed. Voldemort went to murder Potter because of some prophecy that said only Potter could kill him. Something happened that night which resulted in Voldemort being stripped of almost all his powers and Potter received his infamous scar on his forehead."

Upon closer inspection, Mika did see a faint, lightening bolt shaped scar on the kid's head. She frowned. "Um...except for the fact his chance at being a model or teen idol is gone...this sounds all good. I mean, the evil guy is GONE, right?"

"..." Koenma sat down in his chair. "That is what was presumed to be true for the last fourteen years. Unfortunately, it seems Voldemort has found a way back."

Mika growled. "NO WONDER WESTERN SOCIETIES ARE SO SLOW! THEY CAN'T KEEP LEASHES ON THEIR EVIL LORDS!"

Kurama sighed and said, "Right...so, you're saying we're to go over there and defeat this Dark Lord for the wizards?"

"No. We can't interfere that much," Koenma said, shaking his head. "Prophecies are one of things we don't want to get involved in. I just want you over there, listening for information, defend the castle and keep the boy relatively safe. From what I hear, he's a real danger magnet."

"Great," Ayumi muttered, punching Hiei one last time. She didn't even seem out of breath. "Okay: spy, defend, and save. Gotcha. Explain to me once more why Mika and I HAVE to go?"

Koenma shifted. "As I pointed out before...you are the same age as the boy..."

"And?" Mika asked, glaring.

"You're the only ones who can bring those idiots with you without being detected."

All four male demons froze. If he was suggesting what they thought...

"Oh no..." Mika began, slowly shaking her head. She had a grim smile on. "Do not even **_GO _**there, Diaper Boy...I risked my neck to get RID of them...don't think for one minute I'll let them just come back in just like that!"

Botan leaned over to her boss. "Lord Koenma, I think it would be best if you stop bringing these things up..."

Koenma sweat-dropped. "It's not my fault these people have no self control."

"Listen, Baby, I am NOT going to go back inside the brat's mind! We fought so hard to get OUT of it!" Karasu shouted angrily.

Kurama was actually glaring. "I agree. Why is this necessary for us to go inside of Mika's mind?"

"Because these wizards, as backward as they may seem, are excellent at sensing dark magic," Koenma explained. "If they didn't accuse you of being in league with Voldemort first, they would then guess your true nature. They're very superstitious and would not take kindly to your presence there."

"THEN WHY AM I GOING?" Mika asked, stomping her foot. "If they can sense these idiots, then why not me? With all four of them in my mind, I'd have TONS of demonic energy on me! I'd be rooted out the moment I went near the damn place!"

"Ah, but you're only half a demon!" Botan said happily.

Mika stared at the bubbly woman. "...DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID?"

"I know it would be a dangerous feat to put all five of you together at once," Koenma admitted. "Thankfully, I'm smarter than I appear."

"Keep dreaming..." Ayumi muttered darkly. She shook her head and said louder, "Uh, demon powers aside, you forget one little obstacle: we can't speak English."

Botan smiled again. "Lord Koenma has everything taken care of, don't you worry!" She rummaged through her pants pockets and pulled out a leather pouch. "Here we go—Translator Charms!"

"Oi..." both Ayumi and Mika moaned, defeated.

"There's one for all of you," the blue haired woman said excitedly, handing out a silver ring to Kurama, Mika and then Ayumi. She held the others nervously out for the other demons to take. "It'll just replace the last language you know for the one that's built into the charm, which happens to be English."

Mika stared at the silver ring in her palm. It gleamed back innocently. She grimaced. She did not want to go. In fact, she didn't want anything to do with the Spirit World or its troubles at all. Demonic "tutors" were quite enough. She had finally succeeded in creating a stable life for herself, as a normal human being. Well, normal as normal could be...

Yet, either because of what actual paranormal fighting she had seen and done, or because of human guilt...she couldn't bring herself to say no. That completely unguarded look on the boy's face...well, that added to the fact. She sighed heavily.

Sometimes human emotions sucked.

"...how long do we have...to get ready, I mean?" she asked softly.

Koenma huffed. "It's for the sake of all of mankind, so you—" He stopped and stared at the girl. "...what did you say?"

"How long, Diaper Boy?" Mika nearly screamed. She pointed at him dangerously. "You have thirty seconds before I leave you and your international troubles for the buzzards!"

"Er...I, well..." Koenma quickly collected himself. He had obviously not expected her cooperation, as sarcastic as it was. "The school begins sessions on September first. That gives you a good two weeks and three days."

"TWO WEEKS?" Ayumi shouted. "To ready ourselves, escape from our parents, fly into a foreign country and _then _assimilate ourselves into a MAGIC school? YOU'RE CRAZY, LITTLE MAN!"

Kuronue scratched his head. "Wait...two weeks is..."

"Fourteen days, dim-bulb. Plus three, means we have seventeen days," Mika supplied. She crossed her arms. "Okay...two weeks. My biggest obstacle would be to get past my parents. They're still not too keen with the fact I associate myself with your idiots." She frowned. "And Ayumi doesn't have to go, right?"

Ayumi paused. "Huh?"

"You don't have the ability to hide these numbskulls, so you don't have to go," Mika replied. She smiled sheepishly. "I've gotten you into enough supernatural chaos already. I think I could let you skip this one."

"YOU'RE ALL CRAZY!" Ayumi screeched, backhanding her friend. She glared at Mika. "Don't you think for a minute I'll leave you and these morons alone for a minute in another _country _of all places, Murasaki! You'll start WWIII for sure!"

Mika grimaced. "I don't know whether to be insulted or happy..."

"And would the both of you stop using insults when referring to us?" Karasu asked darkly. "We can hear you, you know."

"Exactly."

"Brat."

"I try."

"And you really want us to work together for this scale of a mission?" Kurama asked lightheartedly to Koenma.

"Hey, as of right now, you are my best," Koenma countered. He scowled. "I can't believe I said that."

"Hey, why can't 'Suke-kun go instead of us?" Kuronue asked suddenly.

Mika stared at the bat demon. "...okay, at Yusuke, I draw the line at nicknames."

Karasu looked up and then rolled up his dark sleeves. "That reminds me...c'mere, Brat!"

While sidestepping the new fist fight (that included Mika successfully drop-kicking Karasu), Kurama and Hiei went up to Koenma to discuss the basic structure of the mission. Kuronue and Ayumi exchanged glances. This would have been the best chance to slip away...but...

"...Yo, Princy," Ayumi finally said, grim. "If we only have two weeks to get ready, wrap this meeting up. A girl's gotta pack."

Koenma sat back in his seat. "I just finished talking with these two...they know the whos and wheres. Mika. Come here."

Mika scrambled away from Karasu and landed in front of Koenma's chair. "Yeah?" she asked, stiff as a board.

"Do you remember how to transfer the four into your mind?"

"...maybe." She shifted. "Haven't really given a thought about THAT skill in a while."

"Well, think about it now," Koenma instructed. "Remember what I told you after you first split? If you are in close contact with one another, you'll probably get stuck again."

"Then why make us come together now?" Hiei asked darkly. "I specifically remember you saying that the Amulet would not be able to fix us again. It would be permanent."

Mika scowled. "Like I said before...I do NOT want to go through hell just to get rid of these idiots...AGAIN."

Koenma raised an eyebrow. "You really didn't think I accounted that into my master plan?"

"I..." Mika stopped and stared at the little prince. She looked mildly surprised. "Y...you did?"

"Surprise, surprise..." Karasu muttered.

"I realize that it would be a huge sacrifice on all your parts," Koenma began, "And I also realize that you would want a way out of this again by the time you finish the mission. Here's the deal then: you do your job, I swear on my honor as Prince of All Spirit World that I will return you to your proper forms."

"You have honor?" Ayumi asked sarcastically.

Karasu pointed at the small prince, glaring angrily. "Listen here, baby. What makes you so sure that I'll even go with the Brat? What means of motivation do I have that I should go associate myself with _filthy _ningens even more than I have to now?"

Koenma grimaced. "Your probation would be cut short to the length of time necessary to handle the wizards. Once you are done the mission, you're free as a bird...no pun intended."

That made the crow demon pause. Freedom was good. "...fine," he agreed.

Kurama and Hiei exchanged glances. A free Karasu before could have meant disaster for everyone...but now?

Kuronue waved his hands furiously. "Hey! What do I get?"

"You get to keep on living."

"That's it?" he asked.

Ayumi kicked his leg. "Selfish!"

"OW! Mika, she kicked me!"

"Hey, I only baby-sit you when the other demonic dangers are involved. Ayumi gets free hits!" Mika laughed.

"Right on. Friends with benefits!" Ayumi joked, grinning evilly.

Karasu glared at the laughing girls. "That is just wrong."

"Gee, and we get to experience this for another nine months," Kurama jested, smiling. He ignored the evil glares both Karasu and Hiei gave him. "Are you absolutely sure there is a way to free us afterwards, Lord Koenma?"

Koenma huffed. "Why do you all doubt me so much?"

"Do you really want an answer to that?" Mika asked.

"No."

"Exactly."

"You're all idiots!" Hiei muttered. He indeed felt cornered. He knew if he said no, he'd be forced to go anyway. Curse that brat. Curse the prince. Curse both of them!

Yukina smiled slightly. "It's going to be alright, Hiei-san...I know you six are very strong. You'll be home in no time!"

Whatever good feelings Hiei had left inside quickly died as he slammed his head against the wall once. There was no way out of this now.

"I'd tell you that banging your head like that kills brain cells, but I don't think you had any to worry about to begin with," teased Ayumi.

"Go. To. Hell."

"Technically, that's where we are now."

"Before Hiei explodes," Mika stepped in, crossing her arms again. "Let's finish this meeting. We'll need all of the time we have." She turned to Kurama. "Whenever you're ready, fox boy."

Kurama smiled at her, but it was grim. Mika understood. His mother knew nothing of her son's demonic heritage. She wouldn't even know why he was missing...

"We can wait," said Mika.

"You can support at least one of us in a physical form, correct?" Kurama asked suddenly.

"...ah. Gottcha." Mika grinned. "Then, let's do this now, shall we?"

"WHY ARE YOU HAPPY?" Karasu shouted angrily, hitting her over the head. He growled. "This is worst thing that's happened to us since we even met, you moron!"

"Aw, Kara-chan, this will give us time to BOND," Mika replied in a sickeningly sweet voice. She narrowly dodged his angry punches. "OKAY, I'M DOING IT NOW!"

"'Bout time," Kuronue grinned.

"..." Hiei fumed quietly.

"Just like old times," mused Kurama.

"ARGH, THIS IS SO STUPID!" Karasu bellowed.

Koenma rubbed his temples. "I need some aspirin..."

"They have that down here?" Ayumi asked suddenly.

Mika stopped running and stood in the center of the room. She bit her lip. Did she even remember how...? She closed her eyes and pictured the flow of her aura. To her surprise, she felt a faint trace of foreign spirit power intertwined with her own. She smiled softly.

_There we go..._

Kurama, Karasu, Kuronue and Hiei all tensed. It took them a moment to realize that it was Mika was tugging on their auras. Hiei scowled and grew even more tense.

"Hurry up, Murasaki."

Mika still kept her eyes closed as she focused on their spirit powers. "Shut up."

Slowly, the power she felt grew closer and hotter. Waves of demonic power washed over her. Surprisingly, it was somewhat comforting. It was familiar, in the very least. She pulled sharply on it. The four strands of auras swamped her. Mika shifted and did what she used to do one year ago.

As if a vacuum had turned on suddenly inside her subconscious, Mika felt a multitude of energies go swirling into her mind. The rush of energy nearly sent her falling backwards, but she stood strong. She only focused on controlling the flow. Everything else was oblivious to her. The flow started to slow down. Mika tried to ignored the pounding headache that was beginning to form in her head.

Everything grew still. Mika kept her eyes firmly shut.

Then...

#...**Exactly** like old times.#

_'...aw, fuck.' _

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

HAHAHA POOR MIKA, NOT REALLY! (Sorry for that crude language. Mika's rebellious, remember?) This was so long...ugh.

I am now obsessed with Kingdom Hearts II. Finished it already. Axel is YUMMY. So is Riku. Might make a fan fiction...? Not soon, though. Gotta work on this one, lol. (I'm pro-Axel/Roxas, actually. I know, "OMG, AD actually liking a shounen-Ai pairing!"...it's gotta be mild though...)

-"origin of demons" I have no idea what I am talking about. Do not bug me.  
-"Go take a suicide pill and die" was created by my sister's friend. Since he said that to me, I get to use it. :P  
-"Okassan" is a name for mother in Japanese. Kurama _is _a momma's-boy. Lol.  
-Strictly speaking, Ayumi should know nothing of the World Wars. WWII is not even MENTIONED in Japan. My cousin-in-law, when she first came here from Japan, was shocked at the truth. Hmm...egoists. LOL, I KID. (hugs Japan)  
-Yukina and Botan...space takers or did I actually make them worthwhile this time? XD XD I'm such a bad author at times...  
-OH NO, THEY'RE TOGETHER AGAIN! Were their troubles in IMM worth it? Oh yes. Will they ever get out of it THIS time? Hehehe, you'll see...

REVIEW.


	4. Around and Round It Goes

AHAHA FINALLY THE NEXT CHAPTER! Took me long enough, eh? I wrote most of this in school in my notebook, actually. I _was_ writing this whole time...but it just took me a while to piece it all together. Oh and then I was grounded cause my mom's a royal pain in the ass...yeah. But it's all good.

I was reading my Saiyuki manga over today and I realized that there are some creepy similarities between the Saiyuki guys and IMM's guys. Oo Kurama and Hakkai...Sanzo and Hiei (except not their height!)...Goku and Kuronue...there's even some similarities between Goujyo and Karasu! ...it's really freaky. I can honestly say it's a coincidence cause I never even heard of Saiyuki when I started IMM a while back...haha it's kinda funny! XD

**REVIEW ANSWERS  
Lanie N.** - LMAO I shall remember those words. XD Thanks!  
**KamiKazenoKage** - YAY! Thank you so much! I'll be waiting. :D  
**Lacuna Miyamoto** - Lol! I'm glad I'm the youngest in my family...lol. Thanks for the review!  
**Trisana Kara **- (Wow, you had a lot of questions lol!) Yes, it may seem odd that Mika "repossessed" her demon friends, but she does want to do the right thing. I suppose there is some moral instinct somewhere in her chaotic mind, lol. Her parents are going to flip out, trust me...and Ms. Ryoko may only appear for a short while in this story, but she's not going to vanish completely. Ralph...ehehehe his part in the story is my favorite. XD The people who may or may not discover the Mika's "secret" are my own little secret. Lol. Ayumi's necklace helps her channel her pyrokinetic powers, but isn't really demonic. And teachers? Nah, no one from Japan comes as a teacher. I'm trying to follow the 6th book plot as closely as I can, but I obviously am changing a LOT of it, lol. The defense teachers are going to be like oil and water, that's all I can say. DEMON OWLS! XD Go for it! Lol.

**KINGDOM HEARTS II MY LOVE.** Lol.

OH! I'm the BETA-reader for a good friend of mine: Offspring104! I haven't gotten around to doing any editing yet, but her stories are still good anyway! GO READ HER STORIES:D

_'Mika'_  
:Karasu:  
#Kurama#  
/Hiei/  
((Kuronue))

_"English"_

**

* * *

**

Mika rested her head against the wall, trying desperately to avoid the truth that hit her like a freight train.

It was happening all over again...

All over again.

"...have you gone Emo?" she heard Ayumi ask, trying to lighten the mood.

"No."

"Are you alright? Do you have an injuries?" the kindhearted Yukina asked nervously.

"No."

((Do you want to die?))

_'Hell yeah.'_

:Glad we got that cleared up.:

#Hmm.#

"ARGHHHHH!" Mika bellowed, causing everyone around her to jump up in surprise. She glared fiercely at Koenma. "I HATE YOU! HATE YOU HATE YOU HATE YOU!"

Koenma glared at her with equal dislike. "There's one thing we have in common."

Ayumi gave her friend a worried look. "So...they're in there again?"

"Nice and cozy too, the freeloaders," Mika muttered sarcastically.

/Are you suggesting that we WANT to be here/ Hiei asked dangerously.

_'Didn't put up much of a fight, now DIDJA?' _Mika challenged.

Kurama sighed. #You all remember how far fighting got us last time.#

:Yeah, double the hell and triple the confusion: Karasu said darkly.

((I like confusion)) Kuronue said happily.

_'Only when you're causing it, right?'_

((Well, yeah...))

/How did I know.../

_'Dunno.'_

/Shut up./

_'Bite me.'_

Botan clapped her hands cheerfully. "Then that means you're all set to go now!"

Mika suddenly froze and glared at the chipper girl. "Hold up." She pointed at her and Koenma dangerously. "Just how do you plan on hiding their auras again?" Mika asked dryly. "I'd rather not be attacked the moment I go into that place. It might make me go more demonic than I am now!"

Koenma motioned towards Mika's hand that was not being pointed at him. "That Translator Ring also provide you with a special guarding spell. As long as you wear it, it will hide your extra demonic power."

Mika stared at him. Then, surprisingly, she burst out laughing. Everyone waited with unsure looks for her to calm down. Finally, she managed to stifle her giggles.

"Man, I wasn't even going to wear this thing! Ha! You got me on every corner!" she cried, grinning.

/...are you being sarcastic/

_'Don't mind me. I'm on the brink on insanity.'_

:You do realize you just rhymed:

_'DAMN.'_

"Um, you would need to wear it anyway, kiddo," Ayumi said. "It'll let you speak English and since we're going to the English Motherland, we're gonna need that skill."

Mika grinned and then said very roughly, _"What do you mean?"_

Everyone gaped at her.

/What the hell did you just say/ Hiei demanded.

Kurama stiffed his laughter. #It seems you finally managed to get ahead of Koenma this time, Mika.#

Kuronue was utterly confused. ((Huh? What did she just say?))

Slightly unnerved, Koenma shifted. "You...could speak English this whole time...?"

"Yep. My aunt finally got around to teaching me the basics. I have no clue what I'm saying half the time, but it still counts, doesn't it?" Mika asked, grinning. She laughed. "But I guess I need the spell anyway." She smirked. _"Stupid shithead."_

Before she could react, Koenma flipped out a paper fan and hit her over the head. She yelped and grabbed her skull in pain.

"OW!"

"STUPID GIRL! I'm the Prince of the Underworld! I can speak all languages!" Koenma bellowed angrily.

"HAHAHA, WHAT DID SHE SAY?" Ayumi demanded, laughing hysterically.

:TELL ME! I WANT TO KNOW:

_'If that didn't hurt so much, I'd say worse things,' _Mika grinned.

:Translate it next time. It's pure bliss watching that damned man get angry:

"It's kinda odd...you'd think that they would understand me speak English if they're in my mind..." Mika muttered aloud while holding her throbbing head. "Weird."

"You're weird," Ayumi replied.

"Undoubtedly."

"Alright, now that all of that mess has been handled," Koenma said calmly, "Let's go over the first steps of your assignment."

"Number one: pack your belongings and get ready for an interesting trip!" Botan said cheerfully. She ignored the groans both girls emitted. "It'll be fun, I guarantee you that! Think of the adventure!"

Mika scowled. "Adventure, lady, is the last thing I wanted again. I wanted to be normal. I wanted to live with my parents, go to a normal school, go out—"

"—with your lover, Kenji?" Ayumi teased.

"HE'S NOT MY LOVER!" Mika yelled, blushing.

:You should see what they do behind the scenes.:

((Yeah, no shame.))

_'SCREW YOU! You weren't even there, so how would you know?'_

:...where is that memory room, again:

_'ARRRGGGHHHHH!'_

Everyone in the Prince's office who could not see the bloodbath that was happening behind Mika's eyes continued to converse about the mission.

"...I hope we're compensated for this. Money is always appreciated," Ayumi said.

Koenma glowered. "What do you think I am, a bank?"

Ayumi growled. "If no money, then how can we be compensated!"

"Greedy humans..." Koenma muttered. He scowled. "I guess the fact you're going to be saving thousands of innocent people doesn't appeal to you?"

Pausing, Ayumi stopped in her tirade. Then, she shrugged. "Okay. That's cool."

"You'll do it?" Botan asked.

"Already said I did. Thought I could con you people out of a few bucks," Ayumi said, grinning. She laughed. "Even if it only helped a handful of people, I'd still do it. It sounds fun!"

"Crazy human," Mika remarked darkly, stepping out of her mental battle.

"Negative demon," Ayumi replied, teasing.

"Half-ling."

"Whatever."

Ayumi went to pat Mika on the head, but stopped. She lifted her hand up and looked at the silver ring that was still clenched in her fist. She grimaced. "This...thing is going to mess with my mind?" she asked suddenly.

"No. It will just replace your current language for the one encoded on the ring's spell," Koenma explained.

She let out an angry sound. "So, I'll never be able to speak Japanese again? Do you actually expect me to give that up? What about my mother? How will I be able to speak to her again—?"

"HOLD IT," Koenma interrupted her, waving his tiny arms. "Listen to me for a second, would you?" Ayumi pouted, but remained quiet. "It won't replace it permentally. It will just...switch it for as long as you have the ring on. You won't be able to speak Japanese with it on, but you will when it's off."

Ayumi mulled it over for a few minutes. Mika gave her friend a supportive smile.

"I'm going to have to wear it too," she said. "With these psychos taking over my aura and everything."

:Why do you always blame us:

_'Cause it's easy to do.'_

#You never were an overachiever.#

_'You know me too well.'_

Sighing in defeat, Ayumi looked at the jewelry grimly. "Okay..fine. I'll wear it. I'm warning you now, Diaper Boy. One side effect and you'll never see your third birthday."

"Do you have any idea how old I am?" Koenma asked sourly.

"No."

"OKAY THEN!" Mika jumped in, trying her very best to break up the coming war zone. "Let's try these babies out, huh?"

"Whatever." Ayumi growled. She hesitated as she held up the ring. "...when I put it on, say something in English, okay?"

Mika nodded. "Right."

Ayumi gulped and placed the ring securely on her index finger. She bit her lip and then nodded once at Mika.

Mika pointed dramatically and shouted, _"WHERE ARE THE BISCUITS?"_

Inside her mind, Kurama sank down slowly. The other three were utterly confused.

_"Excuse me?"_ Ayumi paused. She blinked. _"OH MY GOD!"_

/I **really **want to know now./

#you don't, trust me#

:Let me guess...Murasaki's making a fool of herself.:

#More or less...yes.#

/I don't want to know.:

#Exactly.#

_'Stop talking about me. Gossip is bad!'_

((Gossip?))

/Don't rope me in with stupid ningen habits./

_'I can so see you as a crack addict.'_

/A WHAT/

((AHA, funny names for Hiei time again! Yay!))

/I'LL KILL YOU ALL/

:Not before I do.:

_'Hopefully that's relatively soon.'_

:You wish.:

_'You have no idea.'_

Ayumi pulled her ring off and put it into her coat pocket. "Ugh, that was too weird."

"You're going to have to get used to it," Koenma warned.

"Up yours," she countered.

"Can we leave?" Mika asked suddenly.

"Are you ready?" Koenma countered.

"We still have two weeks and a few days, remember?" Ayumi growled.

Botan shook her finger at the younger girls. "But, you should still be ready. Time flies when there's work to be done!"

Mika and Ayumi exchanged glances. "Um, actually, no it doesn't."

Ignoring them yet again, Botan smiled. "Well that's all you need to worry about then! Have fun packing and see you in two weeks!"

Yukina smiled warmly. "Be safe and be careful," she said softly.

"No worries..." Mika smirked. "And Hiei says good bye!"

"He does?"

Ayumi and the non-humans watched in mild amusement (well, not Yukina) as Mika began to slam her head onto any hard surface she could reach.

"HE'S ATTACKING MY FRONTAL LOBE!" she shouted in between bangs.

"Oooh, that has to hurt," Ayumi murmured.

"Ahh!" Yukina looked frightened. "M—Ms. Murasaki-san! Please...I'll try to heal the pain!"

Ayumi waved her away. "Internal brain damage. I don't think you could heal that."

While Hiei continued to kick the inside of Mika's mind, Kurama and Karasu both exchanged glances.

#I think this was a bad idea. We still don't get along.#

:You thought we would:

#No, I just thought we'd be a little bit more...intelligent?#

((Ha!))

"Come on, kiddo, let's go before Diaper boy finds more trouble for us," Ayumi said, dragging Mika towards the door.

Koenma muttered something darkly under his breath. Ayumi spun around and glared at him.

"SAY WHAT, BABY LORD?"

"Get out before I come up with something else!" Koenma shouted angrily.

"Try it and you're SO dead!" Ayumi snarled.

"Like I haven't heard that before," muttered the tiny prince. He rolled his eyes. "If those were all the sarcastic remarks you wanted to say, get the hell out of my office."

Mika stuck her tongue out at her new boss. "With pleasure, short stuff!" She dodged the desk leg he threw at her.

#Just go, Mika. He _could _make this so much worse than it already is.#

:Yeah, imagine having to sneak into the evil guy's cult instead.:

_'I can handle dark lords! I can handle retarded demons, so I can handle cult leaders!'_

((I find that word offensive.))

_'What? Demons?'_

((No.))

_'Dark lords?'_

#Just drop it.#

((I will not be silenced!))

/_I'll _silence you, then/ Hiei threatened darkly, taking out his katana.

"Let's go, Ayumi," Mika said aloud, ignoring the fighting in her mind. "We've got a lot to do."

Ayumi grinned and saluted. "Lead the way, _Mon Capitaine_!"

"Please, no more new languages. One new one is enough for now."

"Ha ha...yeah, I guess so!"

As the two laughing girls departed through the door and shut it behind them, Koenma let out a huge, heavy sigh. He chewed furiously on his binkie.

"What a bother," he muttered mindlessly to himself.

Yukina, smiling wearily next to the frustrated prince, said comfortingly, "Don't worry, Lord Koenma. I'm sure they'll be just fine."

Koenma snorted. "I'm not the least bit worried about them. I'm worried about the _school_. If Fudge finds out my people are destroying the castle, my goose is cooked!"

Botan laughed good-heartedly. "Oh, don't be so negative, my lord! They haven't even gotten there yet—!"

A shattering gang from the door sent all three non-humans jumping up in surprise. Gathering himself, Koenma looked around in accusation. He saw the office door had been swung open and there was a very agitated Yusuke Urameshi in its frame.

"Yo," the teenager said, his expression dark.

"Oh, Yusuke, can't you ever knock?" Botan complained.

"I will when you start!" Yusuke snapped, referring to the ferry girl's own sudden appearances. She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

Koenma glowered at his chief spirit detective. "It's about time you showed up, Yusuke. Didn't you get the message?"

Yusuke glared back. "Well, sorry. It's not like I'm frickin' used to _OWLS _delivering freakish messages that make no sense what's so ever. What the hell was up with that?"

"Did you even read the letter?" Koenma asked dryly.

"Yeah, I did—well, some of it."

"And?"

The hotheaded teen pointed at tiny lord. "I hated regular, human school! What makes you think I'll go to a MAGIC school?"

Koenma glared at his employee. "You really are an idiot."

"HEY!"

All of them looked up to see an out of breath Kuwabara standing right behind Yusuke. He pushed past his friend and pointed at Koenma in a similar manner.

"WHY DID AN OWL ATTACK ME THIS MORNING?"

Koenma's eyes twitched. "...never mind. You're both idiots."

Suddenly, Kuwabara turned a vibrant shade of red as he noted a certain someone next to Koenma. He choked.

"YUKINA, MY LOVE!"

"Oh, for the love of...!"

While the love struck human went off to the blushing ice maiden, Yusuke continued to glare at Koenma.

"Hey," he said coldly. "We passed by Murasaki and that Takei girl in the hallway. You didn't give them a mission, did you?"

Koenma raised an eyebrow. "And what if I did?"

"You're crazy!" shouted the angry youth. "They might be the same age as me, but they're still kids! They don't know squat on being spirit detectives! AND YOU ACTUALLY TRUST THEM, OF ALL PEOPLE?"

"Why are all of you so negative?" Botan demanded.

"Why are you so god damn happy about it?" Yusuke countered.

"Yusuke," Koenma said sharply, cutting them all off. He crossed his tiny arms. "I understand your worry. Both girls and those four demonic troubles are loose canons. The girls know nothing of being detectives, but I never said that they would be. They're spies going in to gather information about certain troubles overseas. They're the best to send, as they can easily connect with normal, everyday humans. You're what I'd call the type to send in if there's a war going on."

"But isn't there?" Botan suddenly asked.

Koenma glared at her. "Quiet!"

"Sorry!"

Yusuke scowled. "Wait a minute...are those guys back inside Murasaki's mind?"

"...yes."

"IDIOT! She broke into the Spirit World vault to get them out! Are you that much of a bastard?"

"I know what I'm doing, thank you very much!"

"Well, start acting like you do!"

Kuwabara looked up, confused. "Uh? Are we going on a mission or what?"

"Nice of you to come back from La La Land," Yusuke growled.

"Hey, shut up!"

"Point being," Koenma said loudly. "The idiot is right. You two do have a mission to attend to."

"Good cause I thought Murasaki was going to hog all the lime light," said Yusuke with a smirk.

Koenma looked at them, his pudgy face very serious. "While Mika and Ayumi are busy handling the front lines, I think you two would do best handling the back."

Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged glances. A tense moment followed.

Finally, Yusuke nodded and turned to Koenma. "Alright...just what do we have to do?"

**

* * *

**

Kinda short...but whatever.

-Ha, I bet none of you remembered Mika was learning English in the first story! XD I knew I wrote that in there for a reason...lol. Please excuse her really random English phrases. She never learned perfect English, just phrases. XD She has no idea what she's saying, really. I'm getting them all from an English-Japanese booklet, except I'm using the English translation instead of the Japanese one.  
-Kurama knows some English, since he went to a human high school and everything.  
-Ms. Murasaki-san...uhh...couldn't think what Yukina would call Mika since she really doesn't know her that well and being the polite little ice maiden she is...yeah.  
-Yusuke's about Mika's age, BTW (Kurama's a year older than Mika and he was older than Yusuke by that much...soooo yeah). Mind you, in the final season of YYH, he kinda quits school altogether. Tsk, tsk...STAY IN SCHOOL, KIDS!

-told you Kuwabara and Yusuke would appear. What's their mission? MWAHAHA, YOU'LL KNOW SOON ENOUGH!

**REVIEW!**


	5. Of Packing and Practicing

Omg...108 reviews...THANK YOU! You have no idea how happy I am. I love you guys!

WE GOT A NEW PUPPY! XD We named her Rogue after X-Men. She's an Akita (which I personally think is downright ironic lol), three months old and she's teething. She bites. Ohhhh, does she bite. AnimeDarkside has gone from writer to chew toy in a matter of days. I blame her for the lateness of this chapter...but I still love her cause she's so cute! _(shakes fist)_

**REVIEW ANSWERS  
****Lanie N. **- XD lol I actually don't use a word processor...the one I have screws up what I write most of the time, so I just use Wordpad. My sister reads over the story later, but there are still grammar errors...ugh, I can edit other peoples' works, but I can't see my own errors! ARGH, lol. Thanks anyways!  
**Trisana Kara **- Kuwabara and Yusuke's mission is quite amusing...that's all I can say! And Koenma...hmm...do any of these characters know what they're doing? Ehehehe...  
**bookworm0492 **- haha...yep, the Golden Trio and Ferret boy shall appear soon enough. Kurama and Mika...I like that idea too, but we'll all have to wait and see how it unfolds, eh?  
**Niana Kuonji **- how did you guess—I mean...:D  
**Peeka-Chan **- YAY, YOU REMEMBERED! XD Nope, Yusuke and Kuwabara's mission is not to teach...And wow, you read Hybrids at Hogwarts? o.o Wicked! Well, yes I will continue it. I just added chapter eight and chapter nine is in the works. Lol...  
**Niki Pound** - You have a point with the judgement thing...AND YOU'RE RIGHT! Augh, I'm so bad at languages, lol. I'll fix that later...  
**Pen Against Sword** - lmao! Summer program...oh, you just made my day. XD Although that's a good idea, Yusuke and Kuwabara have another job. Hehe...summer program...XD  
**Killshea Kavani** - thanks for all the reviews! Will they ever get out...? Aha...let's wait and see, shall we:D  
**Athena Princess of Darkness** - Aha, thanks. Impending doom is quite correct...and yep, it's a trilogy (thought it would make sense if they were to finish out their 7th year). O.o Brussel sprouts? ...I'll be good? lol Thanks again for the review!

This chapters gives you a deeper insight into Ayumi's character. Also, a quick practice-fight scene shows how much the group has improved...cough. Right. XD

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter or Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do own the whole Inside My Mind idea, including Mika, Ayumi, and all their original friends and foes.  
**Warnings**: spoilers for the sixth book, crude humor, violence, language and the occasional Karasu-bashing from Mika...poor Karasu. lol!

_'Mika'_  
:Karasu:  
#Kurama#  
/Hiei/  
((Kuronue))

Please know I did not have this chapter editted by my sister cause she's a lazy ass and I'm impatient. Bad combo, I guess...please point out the grammar errors (nicely!) and I'll fix 'em later.

**

* * *

**

Mika sighed for the hundredth time as she stared blankly at her white ceiling. During the trip out of the Spirit World and then on the train back, all she could do was think about the huge mistake she had just made. What had she been thinking, honestly?

:I can vouch you don't think at all.:

_'SHUT UP!'_

/You can't deny the truth/

For the first time in a year, Mika finally had her little commentary quartet back. She had gotten used to the joys of mental privacy. She would just have to get back into the practice of shielding her personal thoughts.

"Stop sighing and help me, would you?" asked Ayumi from the corner of the bedroom. She was already ten steps ahead of Mika. They had found Mika's traveling bags in the crawlspace, but Ayumi was the one doing most of the packing so far.

"But I don't wanna gooo..." Mika whined.

Ayumi sent her a death glare. "Do not start that now. This is a signed and packaged deal, remember? The mission seems easy enough and it'll only be a regular school year."

Mika scowled and glared back at her. "There is nothing normal about this school year. It's a magic school, for crying out loud!" she complained. "Aren't you upset that you'll never finish high school?"

Pausing, Ayumi looked away. Mika immediately felt guilty. She never knew what Ayumi had planned for her future.

"I don't need a high school diploma for what I want to do," Ayumi answered.

Mika raised her eyebrows. "Really?" What was it, then?

Ayumi returned to the suitcases, pointedly ignoring Mika. The said half-ling glowered at her spot on the bed. She took a pillow and flung it at the other girl, who cursed when the object hit her head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" she demanded angrily.

"You're being melodramatic!" Mika replied.

Scowling, Ayumi threw the pillow back at her. "I am not. I just don't want to talk about it," she snapped.

"Why not?"

"You'll laugh at me."

Mika blinked. That was unexpected.

/Ha, she probably wants to be a prostitute./

"It can't be that bad," Mika said. She snickered. "Hiei says you want to be a slut!"

/WHY DID YOU TELL HER? NOW SHE'S GOING TO HIT ME/

_'AHAHAHA! SERVES YOU RIGHT!'_

#...not getting involved.#

Kuronue jumped up and down on the hill, which appeared to be back. ((She's gotta tell us! I want to know!)) he exclaimed. ((Tell meeee!))

_'Chill, bat dude,' _Mika replied. She turned to the sulking Ayumi and smiled. "Aww, we're just messing with you." She got up and sat on the floor next to Ayumi. "I promise I won't laugh. You can tell me!"

Still frowning, Ayumi bowed her head farther. Then, she muttered, "I want to be a singer."

Mika stared at her friend and then grinned widely. "Aww, that's so cute!"

:"Cute?":

_'It is!'_

((What's a singer?))

_'Dude...you had better be joking.'_

((Huh?))

Ayumi, oblivious, nodded and then smirked softly. "My mom says I'm stupid, but I really want to do something with my voice."

"I've never heard you sing," Mika commented thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm not that comfortable with it in front of people just yet. I'm getting better," replied Ayumi. She laughed and scratched her head. "I never really wanted to graduate anyway. I only was in it to be with everyone. I'll take saving the world any day over geometry with Mr. Fujido!" Both girls burst out laughing.

:I kinda wish I knew what was going on, but at the same time, I don't.:

_'Good for you.'_

"So, a singer for you, an officer of the law for me...yeah, I think we can make it," said Mika with a grin.

"What about your schooling?" Ayumi asked softly.

Her grin not faltering, Mika simply gave her friend thumbs up. "Don't worry. Things will work out, even if I have to repeat a grade. Besides, magic is so much cooler than history or mathematics. Think of all the things we can explode!" she giggled.

#...Somehow, I think exploding things beats the purpose of this mission.#

:Hey, if you wanted to blow things up, you could have just asked me.:

_'Nah, I like the human method. It's so much messier. Especially if you use lots of fire power. Yeah...'_

:Oh yeah? Just what have you exploded:

_'A Furby.'_

:A Furby:

_'A Furby.'_

:What the hell is a FURBY:

_'Your worst nightmare.'_

/Hn./

_'No, dude, I'm serious.'_

"Anyway," Ayumi said, "Let's finish packing. Then, let's talk to our parents."

"Why pack first?" Mika asked.

Ayumi looked up with an evil grin. "That way, they can't say no."

"I love your logic."

"Everybody does."

/I don't./

((I do!))

:She can't even hear us, so what's the point:

_'There isn't a point to anything, really.'_

#True.#

Finally, Mika decided to help pack. They had looked up on the Internet what the weather was over in England and tried to pack accordingly. Sweaters, shirts, socks, pajamas...they all went neatly into the bags. After a short time and after Mika tossed in a some dental floss for good luck, they deemed the packs set. They would buy all their magic school equipment (which the letters had given a list of) later when they arrived in England. Unfortunately, the packing of the normal things only took up approximately an hour of the day to do.

"Oh man..." whined Mika. She slid to the floor and scowled. "My parents won't be home till five. It's only three. What are we supposed to do until then?"

"Plot a way to swindle them into saying yes?" suggested Ayumi.

"I already have an idea."

"Oh. Alright, then how about we watch TV?"

Mika gave her friend a half-glare. "We're about to go across two continents to save the world inside a magic school and you want to watch TV?" she asked.

"Dunno," shrugged Ayumi. She sat down next to Mika. "What else are we supposed to do?"

((Oooh!")) cried Kuronue excitedly. He began to jump up and down next to the other seated demons in Mika's mind. ((We can have a training session!))

_'Oh, hell no.'_

:Yes. Let's do it.:

_'I said no!'_

/Majority rules/

_'Buh—!'_

Mika was about to protest again, but a familiar tingling sensation distracted her.

_'Aw, shit.'_

In reality, Ayumi froze when she felt Mika's aura change. She turned her head slightly.

"Kuronue had an interesting proposition for once in his life," drawled the strange Mika, a large grin appearing on her face.

Ayumi sighed. "Karasu."

"The brat is well overdue for a training session. I hear your trials in fire have paid off as well?" asked the said demon slyly.

"Maybe," she answered honestly.

"Then, let's practice."

Ayumi rolled her eyes. "If you hadn't notice before, terrorist, you happen to be in the same body," she pointed out.

She yelled out in surprise when four forms materialized instantly next to them. Mika obviously had retained control of her body through that. She was not happy.

"YOU SONS OF—!"

"It's for your own good, brat," claimed Karasu, dragging the girl by her shirt collar towards the door.

Slightly disturbed, Ayumi looked down the hallway after them, Kurama appearing at her side.

"Wow," the human girl whistled. "It was just last year she was dragging you punks around like that."

"She'll be back in shape in no time, I guarantee it," Kurama replied, smiling despite the loud crashing noises that came in from the living room.

Kuronue leaped around happily. He exclaimed, "Yay! We're all out together like before except we can go back in Mika's mind!"

"Temporary forms, idiot," Hiei growled.

"So?"

"Moron."

Ayumi peered at the smaller man who glared back.

"What?" he demanded.

"Well," she began. "You guys do look a whole lot...more whole. Mika can probably make you guys appear to normal people now without a problem. Lucky."

"Not really," mused Kurama. "Otherwise we wouldn't have to even be in this situation."

"True..."

The group made their way outside to the backyard. It wasn't big, but it was of pretty decent size. In one corner, there was the small pool that Mika had been forced to clean out days before. In the other corner was a collection of bushes and flowers Mika's mother had attempted to plant to make a garden. Breaking free from Karasu, Mika jerked her head towards the fence. Beyond the fence was a back street that was remotely deserted.

"There's no point in getting out of this now," she sighed. "There's a small wooden area a few streets over."

"We should go back to Genkai's," commented Kuronue.

Mika shrugged. "I'm lazy."

She narrowly dodged Karasu's kick and leaped over the fence in a single bound. She let out a triumphed laugh.

"HA! I didn't know I could do that!"

"Moron," hissed Hiei, disappearing and then reappearing seemingly seconds apart on the other side next to the haughty girl.

Kurama just rolled his eyes and leaped over the fence. Karasu followed in suit, Kuronue flying over right behind him. They waited for Ayumi to physically climb over the fence with some difficulty. She landed in a heap on the other side, a scowl set on her face as she stared up at the gleeful demons.

"Shut up," she growled.

"Didn't say nothing," replied Mika cheekily.

Ayumi shook her fist threateningly once she righted herself up. "DEMONS!" she shouted.

"HUMANS!" replied Mika in the same fashion.

Hiei's fists came out no where and slammed both girls face first into the grass. "MORONS!"

Karasu and Kurama both looked at each other and agreed mentally to just keep going. They were already halfway down the back street when they heard the sounds of flesh hitting the pavement and the familiar sound of Kuronue cracking up laughing. Wind blew their hair viciously as a familiar shadow of a hand flew overhead.

"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR VIRGINITY!"

"DON'T USE THAT HERE, FOOL!" Karasu shouted. He glared in an annoyed fashion up at the half-ling and Ayumi who were speeding down the street thanks to Mika's Hand.

"They're going to get bystanders involved if they openly use those powers," murmured Kurama, frowning.

Behind them, they heard the roar of the short fire demon.

Karasu growled. "Hell, forget the bystanders. They're going to get those police people involved."

"I," began Kuronue who popped up alongside Kurama, grinning like a cat. "Think that this whole adventure will be interesting. Today's just the start of it, too!"

The two other demons sighed heavily. Adventure was just a nice word for the utter chaos that was sure to follow...

**&&&&& At The Wooded Area &&&&&**

Once they had successful calmed down and had reached the said wooden spot, the mismatched group quickly decided to get down to business.

"Alright, let's do this," began Kurama. "We'll assume everyone here is an opponent. The last person still mobile wins." He sent a look over at the grinning Mika. "No killing or permanently maiming."

"AWW!" the half-ling cried, pouting.

Kurama pointed at the two girls. "You two are the least experienced, so you can have a head start and hide somewhere," he explained. "Oh! And everyone this applies to: no reading each other's thoughts. I trust you can block the others by now?" Mika and Kuronue nodded, Karasu and Hiei giving him annoyed looks.

Ayumi grimaced in her spot. "A head start is not going to help. I'm going to lose anyway! All of you guys are way more powerful than I am."

"Power isn't everything," Mika replied, grinning. "How else do you think I kept these guys on a leash last year?"

"Oooh. So I just have to annoy them into submission?"

"That and add a few blackmailing threats."

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT BEFORE I START ATTACKING YOU NOW!" Karasu bellowed. His tone was borderline dangerous, so both girls scurried off into the bushes.

Kurama looked over at Hiei, who was still recovering from his angry rampage just minutes before. The fox demon smiled ruefully. "Ready to practice?" he asked.

Hiei just glared back. His eyes shined with untold anger. "Those two brats are going to die," he replied venomously.

"The no-killing rule applies to you, too."

"The hell it does."

"Aww, aren't we all just so excited to get going on our new adventure?" Kuronue exclaimed, laughing.

Karasu glared at him. "You're more of a fool than I thought and that's saying something. Adventure? This is just another chance for that baby lord to make us suffer incredibly at his expense," he hissed. "I'm the one who should be causing this said world domination threat. I hate playing hero, or detective or whatever the hell you call the lackeys of the spirit world!"

"You act as though you put up a big fight against going back into Mika," Kurama said, his voice growing cold. His green eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Do you think any of us would want to be in this situation? We all have better things to attend to, other than running across the world to play hero. There isn't anything we can do, except grow up, stop complaining and get it over with."

The breeze coming in from the nearby busy street blew past them softly. Caught in a stare down, both Karasu and Kurama stood opposite of each other. Kuronue hovered nervously to the side with an indifferent Hiei by him. Deeper in the woods, they heard the loud rustling of Mika and Ayumi trying to get as far away from the four demons as possible. Karasu mentally told himself to punch Mika for being so carelessly loud. After a tense moment, the quest class demon let out an exasperated sound. He looked to the side, shaking his head slowly.

"This is so ironically stupid," he said darkly.

Kurama, having won the stare down, stood rooted in his spot. He looked back over his companions. "Let's get this practice started. The girls can enjoy the chance to get a head start. I think we don't need such things?"

"You're joking right," Hiei growled, glaring.

"Just checking," his friend laughed, the usual smile appearing back on his face.

Hiei's fist came barreling into the form of Kurama, the sickening sound of flesh hitting a solid object filling the air. The fire demon let out a growl when his target leaped back. Kurama landed several meters away, unscathed. He had to jump up into the air again moments later when Kuronue flew at him with surprising speed. Karasu cursed and flung his leg out at the flying menace.

Thus, the training session had begun.

Mika and Ayumi, who were still trying to find good places for an ambush, were caught off guard when they heard the sounds of the fight. Mika turned to Ayumi. Her face was set into a deep, grim mask.

"What is it?" asked Ayumi, surprised at her friend's expression.

"I'm sorry," Mika said.

"For what?"

"This."

Screaming, Ayumi was thrown into the air when her own shadow sprung up underneath her. She flailed while airborne and quickly landed in a heap in an undignified heap on the forest floor. Groaning, she laid still on the ground while Mika hovered gleefully in front of her.

"MWAHAHAHA!" the half-ling cried. "PUNY HUMAN!"

Her evil laughter tirade was cut short when Hiei's body was flung forcefully into her, sending both cursing demons tumbling into a bush meters away. Ayumi got up stiffly and heard the distant laughter of Kuronue which told her things were definitely getting started.

The back of her neck prickled. Looking out the corner of her eye, she saw the blurred form of Karasu headed right towards her. Screaming, she ducked. The quest class demon was not prepared for his target's move and tripped very uncharacteristically into a tree. Ayumi took this time to run as fast as she could towards the opposite end of the forest. To her, the most logical way to stay alive was to keep away from the others completely.

"Running away?"

She gasped when the vines in front of her suddenly sprang up and latched onto her ankles. They shot upwards, pulling the panicked human girl up with them. From the corner of her eye she thought she saw a flash of red. Anger bubbled inside her.

"CURSE YOU DEMONS!"

With a burst of energy, she focused her aura on the clinging vines. Within seconds, the plants were smoking. Finally, tiny flames erupted, easily burning through the vines and freeing Ayumi. She landed roughly on the ground again, but at least she was free. A quick glance around the area told her Kurama had moved on to tackle the other four. She smirked and continued to go farther into the woods.

Meanwhile, poor old Mika was kicking out randomly with vicious force at anything that moved. Hiei had darted off to get revenge on Kuronue, but both were the least of Mika's troubles.

"STUPID BRAT!"

"AUGH, I'M BEING CHASED BY A GAY MAN!"

Mika screamed when the air around her began to explode. She narrowly dodged the blasts, but she felt the brush of the heat. It made her nervous, but she tried to focus on the problem at hand. Leaping from tree to tree, she tried to keep a good distance in between Karasu and herself. Of course, she soon learned that he had a longer range of fire power than she did and was still rolling and leaping out of the way to escape the close blasts. She heard him curse and the echoing sound of his breath behind the metal mask. Needless to say, it creeped her out enough to keep moving.

The woods were thankfully much larger than either Ayumi or Mika remembered. It was several hundred meters across and double that length wise. However, they all needed to stay clear of its edges. Mika knew it would be absolutely terrible if regular people saw them fighting. It was not as secluded as Genkai's land was—both Mika and Ayumi were known throughout the neighborhood. All of that information did not stop Kuronue from flying around, though never above the trees.

Mika had heard her winged friend laughing over near Hiei and Kurama, but she had not heard the sound of him approaching until he was nearly in front of her. Both screamed in unison, causing several birds to go flying off for cover. Seeing no escape with one demon in front of her and one dangerously sadistic one behind her, Mika decided to make an exit.

"GET OUTTA MY WAY, BAT BOY!" she yelled, throwing her arm upwards.

Yelping, Kuronue had just enough time to look down as his shadow leaped up and slammed into him. It threw him way over the trees and eventually out into the opposite end of the woods. Taking a moment to admire her work, Mika stopped moving. She shivered when she realized she was still not alone.

"STUPID BRAT," Karasu hissed, only a meter or two away. He cracked his knuckles threateningly. "YOU KEEP RUNNING AWAY!"

"You would too if you had to see a creepy masked man chasing you," the girl stubbornly replied.

Karasu growled and raised his hand to summon a bomb. "If you're going to run from every battle, you should have forsaken your powers!"

"WAIIII!"

Ayumi leaped downwards from the trees and landed unmercifully—and directly—on top of Karasu, who collapsed under the sudden weight. Laughing gleefully, the human girl stared evilly at Karasu's long black mane of hair.

"WHO'S YOUR NOT-DADDY-HUMAN?" she laughed with an underlying evil tone.

With a small billow of smoke, Karasu's hair sudden burst into tiny flames.

Mika watched with mild amusement as Ayumi was physically thrown into a bush by Karasu, who was screaming death to all humans and anyone who associated with them. The angry demon (who's head fire was getting larger and larger) batted furiously at his head, letting out a stream of curses that would surely earn him a slap even from a certain psychiatrist. Grinning, Mika raised her hand and the shadow of Karasu raised as well behind its owner. Ever so slowly, she lowered the shadow creation down on top of the now murderous quest class demon, both quenching the fire and locking her opponent out of the games.

Ayumi, the upper part of her body covered with mild scratches, sat up stiffly in the bush. She looked over at the snickering Mika with dull, but annoyed eyes.

"Stupid demons," she said darkly.

Her next comment was cut off when she felt someone grab the front of her shirt. The next thing she knew, she was airborne and yet again seeing tree branches and leaves. On the ground, Mika went on the defensive again as Hiei turned back to her.

"What the hell were you idiots DOING?" he asked in a disturbed voice, eyeing the struggling Karasu warily.

"I have no idea," Mika answered honestly.

Expressionless, Hiei unsheathed his blade and raised it up. Mika moved into a defensive position, but her attention was diverted when the ground suddenly slipped from her feet. She gasped when she was suddenly upside down and eye level with a smiling Kurama.

"Hello," he said cheerfully.

Mika let out an aggravated cry. "CHEATER!" she yelled.

Kurama laughed and looked over at the remaining demon. "I guess we win?" Hiei simply snorted and sheathed his sword. The hand holding down Karasu disappeared, revealing the motionless demon face down on the ground. Everyone who could see looked over at the pitiful form.

"Are you going to let me go now?" asked Mika.

"Ah, maybe after we know he's not going to kill you," Kurama murmured.

"I only put out the fire. Ayumi's the one he's gonna murder."

"Alright then." With a surprised yell, Mika was set free and tumbled to the ground ungracefully.

Karasu, hearing the sound of his ex-captor fall, looked up. His mask was partially off, but once he sat up, he adjusted it. The others watched his movements carefully, wary of his state of mind. He turned and glared at them, pointedly at Mika.

"I'm not THAT bloody crazy," he growled, standing. He didn't have time for them. The fire bitch was the one who was going to die.

Mika raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Uh huh..."

"Shut up, brat."

"I didn't say anything!"

They all looked up at the sound of flapping. Kuronue was hovering over them, pouting. He landed near Kurama and gave Mika a sour look. "Back stabber!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, you would've done the same thing, bat boy!" the half-ling said in defense.

"Are we done making a fool out of these morons?" Hiei asked, glaring.

The heard an angry yell above them in a nearby tree. "ARE YOU CALLING ME A MORON?" Ayumi yelled.

Mika and Kuronue laughed. "Aww," Mika said. "Ayumi got booted from the games."

"I TOLD YOU I WAS GONNA LOSE!"

"My, aren't you psychic," Karasu replied sarcastically.

"I'LL KILL YOU BOMB BOY!"

"Not before I do!"

Ayumi struggled for a moment up on the branch, but finally just laid down on her chest, clinging to the tree. She sighed and called out, "Hey, Mika! I need help getting down!"

She heard Mika laugh and mutter something to the others which suspiciously sounded like, "Just leave her there." Ayumi growled angrily and shifted on the branch. Mika would just leave her there till it got dark and then make fun of her for the next few months over it. She sighed. Why didn't she have cool flying-leaping-shadow powers like the rest of them? It wasn't fair half the time.

"HEY!" she yelled down again. "Seriously, Mika! Kurama, Kuronue! Any of you guys! A little help here!"

"Learn to fly," Karasu replied.

"YOU LEARN, PERM BOY!"

She heard Kurama tell Karasu to ignore the taunting, so she smiled to herself. At least she could still insult them from up here. Her moment of satisfaction was brought to an end when she heard the group moving away, through the woods. She groaned.

"HEY!" she yelled. Silence. "GET ME OUT OF THIS TREE, DAMN IT, BEFORE I START A FOREST FIRE THAT WILL WIPE OUT THE WHOLE DAMN ISLAND!" she screamed. Silence. "AND THAT INCLUDES THE HOME OF A VERY PARTICULAR ICE MAIDEN!"

Ayumi blinked when a flash of black appeared in front of her face. Hiei glared down angrily at her. The human smirked knowingly. Some people, even demons, were just so predictable.

"Gonna get me down?" she asked.

"No," he said darkly. "I'm going to kill you."

"MIKA, HIEI'S GOING TO RAPE ME!"

They both heard the distant scream of Mika, "WHAATTTTT? MIDGET, I WILL PERSONALLY STICK THAT SWORD OF YOURS UP SOMEWHERE QUITE UNPLEASANT IF AYUMI'S FIRST TIME IS RUINED BY YOUR SCRAWNY DEMON...THING!"

"First time?" Ayumi repeated.

"...AYUMI, WHAT ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME?"

"NO, I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!"

Hiei, very disturbed, inched warily away from the embarrassed human girl. He was half tempted to jump away by himself, but he knew that a very angry half-ling was lurking somewhere below on the ground. It was time to undertake the lesser of the two evils. Reaching over, he grabbed Ayumi's wrists and leaped towards the ground, pulling the now shocked human girl with him. They landed soundly on the ground, Ayumi hyperventilating and shaking.

"Dude..." she said breathlessly, her hair sticking out in multiple directions. "Never do that again."

"Fine by me," he sneered, stalking off towards the laughing others. Ayumi scowled, shook some leaves and off her shirt, and scampered off after her friends.

Things, as it seemed, hadn't changed at all.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

For some reason, this chapter reminded me of writing some creepy dance sequence. Someone goes down, someone throws a punch...it was fun as hell writing it, mind you. It's good practice for writing fight scenes, I guess...there will be lots of them in the coming chapters. :D

-MWAHAHAHA I BLEW UP A FURBY THIS PAST MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND! It's eyes are all gone and water goes right through the bottom...kinda set my lawn on fire in the process, BUT MAN IT ROCKED!  
-"Run for your Virginity!" is my saying cause I actually shouted that once in my crowed school hallway. Yeah...I hid in my classroom for a while after that. XD  
-practice...uhhh...I guess they would want to if they're headed towards a whole new world and stuff. Haha, poor Ayumi.  
-"PUNY HUMAN!" can anyone say Invader Zim wannabe? lol  
-the hill...Mika's mind will spontaneously get weirder in this story, BTW. More random things will appear as the story goes on...whee!  
-meters...grr! I'm American here, folks, so please excuse any mistakes I might make while using metric units...cause both Europe AND Japan uses it, so I figured I should use it in this story (considering that's where it takes place)...augh!  
-...I apologize for the crude hinting at the end. XD

AUGH! I'm having a delemia here! Does anyone have the years when the actual Yu Yu Hakusho series went through? You know, from when Yusuke became a spirit detective to the end of the final episode? I've looked everywhere, but I can't seem to find the dates. You see, I'd like to have the demon lords mentioned in this story, but I want it to make sense. If anyone knows the time line dates/years, it'd be great if you could tell me!

**REVIEW!**


	6. ENGLAND?

**BIG NEWS**: CHECK OUT MY PROFILE PAGE FOR A BIG IMM SURPRISE! Haha, I made a video with the IMM characters. XD It's so stupid but funny. Making it, I had an idea...who would want to see, or hear actually, an IMM audio drama? LOL, it wouldn't really be a "drama" per say. I'd just have each chapter acted out by me and my friends as the different characters. You'd be able to point and laugh at me even more, lol. I'd only do this second story, though. I'd be doing Mika, a character you haven't seen yet and MAYBE Botan. Depends. Haha, it'll be crap, but loooottsss of fun. My sister's friend Shawn sorta has a Kuronue voice so I'm gonna go ask him. I just wonder how we're gonna be able to do Hiei, Kurama, Koenma, Yusuke...who the hell can do Dumbledore? LMAO. Oh yeah, this is going to be fun. (My sister wants to do Karasu, so...yeah, it's gonna be frickin' hilarious.)

I just turned fifteen on July 9th! YAY! Lol. I can **finally **get a job. Damn, I want money bad, hahaha...

Holy crap, this is actually pretty off-topic, but one of the most recent reviews I've gotten for IMM (the first story), I think I got a flame. XD I don't mind flames, but it's kinda funny. Of all those reviews, I've never gotten a flame for IMM. Weird! Lol. It's kinda odd for me to be cheerful about it, but I am. XD I'M SO MESSED UP, lol.

**REVIEW ANSWERS:  
****Lacuna Miyamoto **- o.o Um...I can't say I've ever thought of that subject before...um...I really can't say I have a guess...nor do I want to. LOL.  
**dizappearingirl **- haha, thanks. Kuwabara will appear in all his creepy/disturbing glory soon enough lol!  
**Pen Against Sword **- X.x I didn't mean to kill you! Aha...and yes, sadly, no junior death eaters. XD  
**Bishquet **- lol yes, I did. Yes, DRACO IS GOIN' DOWN. Not really, but he will experience the full force of the terrible demonic/psychic annoyers from hell.  
**skye **- haha thanks.  
**dragoness triplets **- I'm glad you like the story!  
**queenofsporks **- ...thank you? XD lmao  
**Jaedon **- I'm taking your advice! XD  
**bookword0942 **- yes, I know Karasu is OOC. Ah well. I like him better this way lol. FURBIES MUST DIE. Whoo lol!  
**Kazumi-Kuwabara **- rotflmao! Yomi? I wasn't planning on something like that, but man, that's a good idea...lol!  
**Niana Kuonji **- yes, exactly! Ayumi will be getting help from Hiei, but she isn't all powerless. She just sucks compared to demons. XD  
**darkness angel **- hehehe, insanity shall ensue at Hogwarts. I suggest you be afraid for Hermione, cause she sees something quite frightening during one scene...lol. I think I might get shot for writing it, but whatever... AND YEAH! The Furby-in-the-closet-still-talking happened to about every single person I talked to! They're demonic! I'm gonna go blow up my sister's pretty soon...whee!

AND A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED ME WITH DATES! Unfortunately, that means my story is clashing with the actual time line. DAMN IT. Ah well. Thanks anyway! I will probably make up some stuff as I go along. I didn't wanna do it, but I guess I'll have to. I really want to get them demon lords in somehow...hmm...

This chapter is exceptionally long, so enjoy it you greedy readers, you. ;D

**

* * *

**Parents were an odd thing. The notion of demons living inside their daughter's mind was simply enough accepted. The idea of their daughter being chased/stalked/tortured physically by those said demons months later was also approved (though with mild concern). However, there were some things a good mother or father cannot just turn a blind eye to. 

"ENGLAND?"

Of course, it would be those actually simple things that caused a disturbance more often than not.

"It's a chance to explore my magical...spiritual...psychic side more!" Mika pleaded.

Her mother huffed angrily. "Just what have you been doing this whole time **here**, then?"

Her father just stared pitifully at the maroon carpet. Sachi, their loyal dog, snorted lazily in his sleep at his master's feet.

Seated around the living room on the couch and the extra chairs, the three people looked very much like an ordinary family discussing a crisis. However, it was nothing ordinary such as a failing mark on a report card or a broken window due to a stray baseball. No, it was something most families would never dream of discussing so throughly.

"You're being such a...a...!" Mika struggled to come up with a word.

:An unfair, nonsensical plebeian.:

"You're so unfair and you're acting nonsensical!" Mika finally sputtered.

:Hey, you cut my word out.:

_'What the heck is a plebeian? I don't want to be too insulting.'_

:Dunno. The fox called me and the bat that before.:

_'I don't wanna use it then. God only knows what dirty thoughts lie beyond that girly little head of his.'_

#Excuse me?#

:_'...sorry?'_:

#...# His glare was enough to shut both demons up.

"Mika," her mother sighed. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. That was her new method of containing her agitation towards her daughter's newfound oddities. Ms. Ryoko had demanded to have a session between the whole Murasaki family. It had taught them all well enough that calm, rational means could easily end a difficult situation better than yelling or fighting could. It had taken some practice, but the idea seemed likable enough.

"Mother, please," Mika begged again. "It's only for a school year and it's cause is important: I can learn magic that I can't learn here in Japan. It's Western magic, mom!"

"What's wrong with Eastern magic?" her mother demanded. The woman then growled at herself. "Why am I encouraging you to take up magic, anyway, anywhere? Can't you stick to being psychic?"

Sighing, Mika gave her mother a sour look. "There's a strong difference between what magic can do and what psychic powers can do. Genkai-sama wants me to learn magic now, and because she's my sensei, think I should follow her advice."

"Then, why can't she teach you?"

"Cause she's...OLD!"

/If she catches you saying that, she'll kill you./

_'Nah. She still wants to see what I can do.'_

:Someday, you're going to die a horrible death and I'm going to be there, pointing and laughing.:

_'Someday...yeah,' _she replied dreamily, which earned her nervous stares from her guests.

#...focus on the real conversation, Mika.#

"...you're so young to be traveling internationally without an adult! And a whole school year? What about your real schooling? You're going to fail high school!" her mother wailed. She sniffed pitifully. "I don't want you to throw away your future!"

"Ma..." Mika whined. "I'm not a baby! I've faced demons, demon hunters and deranged baby kings from the underworld! I think I can handle some foreign school teaching me how to pull a rabbit out of a hat!"

Her father looked up at her, his eyes wary. "...baby kings?"

"You don't want to know."

Mrs. Murasaki looked back to Mika with a nervous look. "Honey...please, help me understand. Why England? Why magic?"

Mika gulped and shifted nervously. She had made up a plan with Ayumi when they had returned from training and washed up. They decided to tell the truth on everything...except the part about the psychotic evil wizard who was threatening mankind. Ayumi's mother had a vague idea about the whole 'psychic' thing her daughter was practicing, and was flexible enough to accept the idea of magic. Mika was the one who faced the difficulty. Her mother would never let her leave if she mentioned the biggest threat...

"I want to see the world...all of the worlds, that is," she finally said. Her green eyes narrowed softly. "I...want to have powers to be able to protect the ones I care about. I want to know magic so I know what things out there I'll face when I get older."

A chilling stillness filled her chest. All four demons, Kuronue lounging on the hill with Kurama and Hiei sparring with Karasu, looked up at the same time. They exchanged looks, each wary of the feeling that they too felt sweep through Mika's body. It was uncomfortable, like a brain freeze, only rising up in her chest.

#Mika? Are you alright?#

Ignoring them, Mika focused on her worried mother's face. She tried to smile warmly, hoping the ice would melt in her chest. "Mother," she began again. "I'm perfectly adequate for this. There's no danger of me dying spontaneously, even if the plane explodes in mid-flight. I've been training with demons for the last ten months. Wizards are...small fry." She didn't know if it was a lie—she had never met a wizard. Luckily for her, her mother did not know that.

Her daughter's words were comforting in the least. Mrs. Murasaki stopped twisted her skirt so viciously. She inhaled and exhaled. She even leaned farther back on the couch. Mika sighed inwardly. The worst was now over with. The girl turned her attention towards her father.

"So..." she said softly. She sighed. "Can I go?"

Her parents, both so used to Mika's new life and still strangers to it, exchanged looks. They were parents and had a responsibility to do their best for their child. However, their child wasn't an ordinary child. Even if they didn't know she was part demon herself, they did know she was not the child that she had been only years ago.

Luckily, that worked for her.

"...are you sure this won't be dangerous?" her father asked.

"A walk through the park," Mika promised.

"And you'll take up you're real education when you get back?" her mother worried.

"Yep."

"The school you'll be attending has a good, clean record?"

"It's said to be the safest place a person could ever be."

"And this magic...it's not...dark, is it?"

"Dark magic's been banned from nearly all cultures for centuries. Wizards aren't any exception."

Her parents gave each other the same parental look. This was it. Mika braced herself. The time for the decision was upon them...

Mrs. Murasaki, fidgeting nervously, looked at Mika with a somewhat sad look she gave when she lost at an argument. Mika smirked before she even heard the answer.

"...All...alright."

Mika smiled, carefully hiding the evil smirk she wanted to give. "Thanks! You won't regret it."

She dearly hoped they wouldn't.

**&&&&&&&&&Three Days Later: Ayumi's Front Porch&&&&&&&&**

They had told their parents. They had told their school friends a revised story about an exchange program. They had informed the school that they would not be finishing their sophomore year there. However...there was one person they had forgotten to tell.

"YOU'RE GOING TO ENGLAND? **_WITHOUT ME_**?"

Ayumi groaned as she rocked back and forth on her chair. Ralph, a dear friend of both Mika and Ayumi for many years, was sitting next to her, pulling at his blond hair in a panicked state. The boy was only four years younger than they were, but he had the maturity of a seven year old at times. He was well aware of just what Mika had become and was friends with her demonic companions. He was so aware, he had taken to the idea he was just as much involved as Mika and Ayumi were when they had "psychy" things to do. A mission from the prince of the Underworld (Chibi-Sama, as Ralph called him) was something exclusive...something Ralph had been dead sure that he would be included in.

"You're twelve," Ayumi pointed out.

"SO? You're not even sixteen!"

"I'm turning sixteen in September, moron," she snapped. She brushed her hair back and sighed. "I know it's not really fair to you, but this isn't...human work. You're a human."

"But so are you!" Ralph cried.

Ayumi rolled her eyes. "Details! I'm a human with powers, Ralph. I'm a notch higher than you on the totem pole. I'd bring you if I knew it wasn't going to be dangerous."

Ralph pouted angrily. He sank lower in his seat until he almost slid out completely. He stared pathetically out into the front bushes. "It's going to be dangerous?" he asked.

"Yeah. There's this crazy wizard dude with a freaky name who wants to kill off all non-magic people. You might have the potential of becoming a psychic someday," she said quickly, "But you don't have any powers now. You're nothing but dog food to that guy. Mika and I are risking it as it is going ourselves. You'd be the one in most danger."

"But you'd be, too!" Ralph exclaimed.

"Not as badly," Ayumi sniffed. She shrugged at his concerned face. "Mika has faced more terrible things this world has to offer than I have and I've seen more terrible things that you. It's not because you're too young or because you have no powers, really. Mainly, it's because you have no real experience in fighting demons or magical people."

As her words sunk in, Ralph sat in silence. He continued to pout, but he didn't look like he was going to put up an argument anymore. Ayumi mentally gave thanks. The kid could really pull a fit if he wanted to.

"When are you leaving?" he asked sadly.

Ayumi smiled comfortingly and patted her friend on his messy blond head. "In about two weeks. We actually got done packing a while ago, but for now, I suppose the best thing to do is hang out with our normal friends, train and get prepped for the mission." She paused. "How about I take you to get a Slurpee and then we can go get Mika and then head over to the arcade to blow our allowances on DDR?" she asked, grinning.

Ralph grinned back, distracted from his previous disappointment. "Alright!" he yelled, leaping to his feet.

Smiling, Ayumi got up and followed after the cheerful boy. She didn't know what to expect from these wizard people, but for now, she would settle for enjoying her friend's company. That was enough for now.

**&&&&&&&&&Ms. Ryoko's Office&&&&&&&&&&&&**

The looming medical office building in front of her gleamed down innocently. Gulping, Mika looked back. At one point in her life, it brought her great discomfort and annoyance to have to walk through those doors. That was when her parents thought she was not right in the head. After that mess had been cleaned up, she had regularly gone back to the building to visit, this time in a happy mood. Now...coming to it brought her nothing but fearful dread. With a heavy heart, Mika entered the building and headed to the elevator.

Her best adult friend, Ms. Ryoko Sugisaki, was a psychiatrist who broke all the stereotypes of a doctor. She smoked, drove around with loud music playing and she often used physical violence to achieve her goals. It brought a smile to Mika's face when she remembered the time her old doctor had beaten up some human punks with just a few punches. Ms. Ryoko was probably the coolest person over the age of twenty one and to make things even better, she had been the only adult who believed Mika's story about demons in her mind. Needless to say, Ms. Ryoko had always been a dear friend to Mika.

Today, however, Mika was feeling some remorse for being so close to the doctor. Ms. Ryoko had never approved of her demon friends bullying her the way they did. If the doctor found out that Mika was on her way to another country to defend the world against a deranged psychopath...well...Ms. Ryoko wouldn't have been very pleased.

:Course not. That hag is never pleased.:

_'That's cause you haven't made a _move _yet, Kara, dear. Once you do, I'll bet she'll be _pleased.'

:WHAT THE HELL:

Kuronue was laughing hysterically. ((Ahaha! Kara-chan still has a crush on Ms. Ryoko!)) he giggled.

The other two demons, Kurama and Hiei, had slipped off thanks to Mika's borrowed energy. Kurama went to sort things out with his mother and Hiei just wanted to "visit the demon world" for his own personal reasons. Karasu and Kuronue had to stay, despite their complaints. Mika wanted to make sure at least some of them wouldn't be able to skip out on her...

Knocking gently on a familiar office door, Mika waited until she heard the also familiar answer, "Come in!" before she entered. The room smelt of vanilla and coffee. Mika tried not to breathe through her nose so much any more. One of her demonic abilities she developed was an extremely powerful nose. Simple scents like air fresheners could knock her flat.

"Yes?" asked the older woman behind the mahogany desk. She was busily taping things down on her laptop, piles of papers stacked up at each side. Mika smiled. Her mentor was also messy for a doctor.

Bowing her head slightly, Mika smiled. "Good morning, Sugisaki-san," she said cheerfully.

Ms. Ryoko paused and looked up. Her serious, busy face was quickly replaced. She beamed and leaped up out of her swivel chair. "Mika-chan!" She frowned. "Since when do you call me that?" she asked.

Mika grinned weakly. "I do when I know you're gonna hit me."

"I'd never hit you!" the doctor exclaimed, horrified.

"I'm going to England."

Yelping, Mika narrowly dodged a stray fist that was flung unmercifully at her face. She ran around the leather couch in the front of the desk, looking fearful. Ms. Ryoko was shaking with rage where she stood.

"ENGLAND?"

"Yes..." Mika whimpered.

"WHY?"

:Why does everyone seem to have an issue with England:

_'The hell if I know!'_

((Hey, I bet it's cause we're going there.))

_'Haaah, you're a genius, Kuro-chan.'_

((Thanks!))

"It's for a mission," Mika said, holding up her hands warily. "To help people. I wouldn't have said yes if not."

"WHAT? YOU AGREED WILLINGLY?" She had to dodge some flying books. "HAVE YOU NO COMMON SENSE? IS IT BECAUSE OF THOSE DEMONS?" There went the computer sailing past her head. "I SWEAR, WHY DO YOU BOTHER WITH THEM? I'LL KILL THEM, I SWEAR I WILL! THAT BLOODY KARASU IS BEHIND THIS, ISN'T HE? I'LL MURDER HIM!"

_'God, she just loves you.'_

:Go Die.:

_'No.' _Braving it in the open, Mika waved her hands in protest. "Please stop throwing things!" she cried. "And stop yelling! I'll explain things, I promise!"

Breathing heavily, Ms. Ryoko paused in mid throw, a heavy physics text book tight in her grip. She hesitated. "Everything?" she asked, threatening underlining violence.

"I swear on my humanity!"

"You're not a pure human, you know."

"Part of me is, so it's still valid!"

The tension in the room vanished. Ms. Ryoko fell back into her seat, smiling wearily. "What kind of mess have you gotten into now, Mika Murasaki?" she asked.

"Tons, but its relatively simple," Mika replied. She sat down on the couch, pushing some stray books out of the way. "I'm going to England so I can do some spying."

"Spying?"

"On a group of magical people, called wizards." She sighed. "Koenma thought Ayumi and I would be the best choices for this mission because we're the same age group as the students in a magical school that's in the center of this society. We're staying there for the length of the school year and then that's it."

Ms. Ryoko tapped her fingers together, pulling on her notorious doctor stance. Her sharp almond eyes narrowed slightly. "What kind of information is the prince of the underworld in need of that he's sending two teenage girls into a magical community to spy? Why this espionage? What are they hiding over there?" she asked.

Mika frowned. She didn't dare mention that Voredemort, or whatever, character. Ms. Ryoko really would have lost it then. "There's a boy named Haarii Pott...something," Mika began, hesitating on the strange words. "He's some prodigy, savior guy to the wizards. Lord Binkie wants me and Ayumi to keep tabs on him, to make sure he doesn't get killed. He's notorious for being accident prone," she added, recalling what Kurama had gathered from Koenma before.

"Two underage girls going to play bodyguard for another underage boy," mused Ms. Ryoko. She did not look happy. "What is that talking baby thinking? _Is _he thinking?"

"I could ask the same thing!" Mika laughed. She grinned comfortingly. "Please don't worry, Ms. Ryoko. The guys are coming with me, Ayumi demanded to come along and that Yusuke Urameshi is part of the mission as well. While he leads the real dangerous stuff, Ayumi and I are only the cover up for the main operation by playing baby sitters. It's no big deal."

Ms. Ryoko bit her lip, but did not lash out. She tapped her long red nails on the desk nervously. "Is there any danger?" she asked.

"Only if we get caught, which we won't."

"But you can't use magic!"

"Supposedly I can. With my spirit and demon powers, pulling a rabbit out of a hat should be no problem."

"But..." Ms. Ryoko continued, upset. Her expression changed to worry. "I'm worried, Mika. What if something happens? You'll be in a completely other continent!"

Mika grinned. "I hear these wizards can fly on broom sticks," she said.

"Oh, how I'd love to see you do that."

Both laughed, despite the tension. Mika scratched her head, smiling lopsidedly. "You're taking this better than I had envisioned," she remarked, relieved.

"I am not happy, trust me," Ms. Ryoko began seriously. She sighed. "But I am not your guardian or parent, so I really don't have a say in it. I suppose you swindled your parents a couple of lies in order to get permission, right?" A sheepish grin from Mika made her sigh. "You're going to make me get gray hairs, kid," she said in defeat.

"I'll be careful," Mika promised.

"You had better. And those demons had better treat you better than they have been. If you come back with one scratch, I'll skin them like chickens!"

:I'd like to see her try:

((Haha, So would I!))

"Well," Mika began, standing. "I need to go pick up Kurama and then hunt for Hiei. They wanted to tie some of their personal stuff up before we went."

"When is that?" asked her ex-doctor.

"About two weeks. School starts pretty early, I think."

Ms. Ryoko smirked. "Are you going to be able to handle the change in curriculum?"

Mika sighed and shook her head. "I hope so. I doubt I could just drop out." She smiled again. "Well, will you be at the airport to wish me goodbye?"

Snorting, her ex-doctor rose out of her seat. "And here I thought you'd be taking a magic carpet," she said sarcastically. She smiled, to show her jest. She walked around and hugged Mika who hugged back. "Of course I'll be there! It's my one chance to beat up that Koenma!" Both laughed again.

After some last minute jests at Koenma's age and then some promises on not to over use magic (all three demons laughed haughtily at this notion), Ms. Ryoko and Mika made their way over to the door. Ms. Ryoko tried to smile encouragingly, but it did not hide her worried eyes.

"Be careful, kiddo," she said simply.

Mika grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Don't worry! I'll be on my toes." She giggled. "I'm thinking of it like this now: I'm getting magic lessons that I could possibly use against my enemies...like diaper boy and those annoying freeloaders."

Ms. Ryoko rolled her eyes, but laughed. "Well, don't get to like it too much, or you'll want to stay over there–-!" She stopped. The color drained out of her face. "Mika..." she began. "Those demon boys...Kurama and the others...they aren't..." She stared pointedly at Mika's head, her eyes wary.

:Here it comes...:

"Ahaha..." Mika laughed weakly, edging towards the door. "Well...you know what they say about demons and wizards...not a good combo...so...uh...I'm kinda going to sneak them...in..." Her hand rested on the doorknob.

"...are they in there?"

Mika tore open the door in a flash, ignoring the crashing and breaking sound coming from its hinges. She was half way down the hall when she heard a horrifyingly familiar screech.

"MIKA MURASAKI, GET BACK HERE!"

:For the love of the gods, **RUN**:

_'I DON'T NEED A SECOND OPINION!' _Mika screamed back, skipping the elevator and slamming into the stairwell. She leaped over the railing and sailed down to the next landing. She continued to do this until she reached the bottom floor. She ran recklessly into the street and nearly collided with several people. Dodging behind a large crepe booth, Mika braced herself and waited.

Several long minutes past. There were no screams of anger or terrifying footsteps that could have brought her doom. Mika listened carefully. Only the sound of ordinary people could be heard. All three demons gave out a thankful sigh of relief.

_'...I think that was more terrifying than our battle with Aki.'_

((Yeah.))

:No doubt.:

They waited for a little more. Finally, Mika got up extra slowly. The coast was clear, revealing no psychopathic psychiatrist waiting to give her a lobotomy. A shaky grin appeared on her face. She would have hell to pay for when she got back, but that was months away. Then, she remembered Ms. Ryoko was coming to the airport. She didn't tell the doctor directions yet, but she had a feeling the doctor would appear anyway...

:That woman terrifies me.:

((Aww. Then no Kara-chan babies?))

Mika ignored the fierce arguing and blood being shed in her mind. She tugged nervously on a strand on hair dangle in her face. Suddenly, she had not noticed how long her hair had gotten. She would have to get it cut soon. Wizarding schools probably had a dress code just as much as a regular school did. She smiled slightly.

_'I'm starting to get a little excited about this.'_

:You sound like that crazy ferry girl.:

_'...OH MY GOSH, YOU'RE RIGHT!'_

((Ahaha, this calls for another training session.))

Mika paled.

_'Aw man!'_

**&&&&&&&&&Two Weeks Later Later: Akita Park&&&&&&&&&&&&**

The last person to tell was the last person any of the demon males wished to see. Mika was nervous, but happy to see this person. Ayumi just waved them off with a sly grin and a wink the guys were sure was directed at them.

#Do you have to do this?#

_'Yes.'_

:Can't we just leave him a note:

_'No.'_

/Can I cut his head off/

_'NO!'_

((Aww...you don't want to hear my suggestion.))

_'I indeed do not.'_

Mika was sitting on a park bench at the opening to the Akita city park. She fidgeted with her now shorter brown hair, which Ayumi had cut just days earlier. Mika had attempted to look her best: best jeans, flattering blouse and two clips in her hair. She looked her best and perfect to go on a date. However, she was not going on a date. She was...

"Hey, Mika!"

She turned, smiling wearily. There he was, crossing the street towards her. Handsome, well built and wearing his usual naive look. Kenji Sato had been her friend since their early years of school. Last year he had been the first boy ever to ask her out. However, since, he had grown up considerably. He was losing the edge of boyishness and was turning into a man.

((BARF))

_'SHUT UP!'_

Kenji stopped a few spaces away, grinning brightly, which made Mika blush. He really was cute...

:No, I don't think so.:

_'You'd better not, Gaylord. I ain't sharin' him.'_

:EXCUSE ME? WHY ARE YOU SO DISGUSTINGLY CRUDE ALL THE TIME:

_'People's personalities reflect on that of their surroundings.'_

#I thought that was dogs who did that#

_'Shut up.'_

"Hi, Kenji-kun!" Mika said cheerfully, getting up. She smiled. "Thanks for coming. I wasn't sure if you had work or anything today."

Kenji laughed. "Nope. I have off for a couple days this week." He walked over to her. "You sounded really nervous on the phone. Is there anything wrong?" he asked, worry flashing in his eyes.

"Oh..." Mika began. She had ran many scenarios in her mind, ignoring her guests' comments about them, but had not come up with one that did not make her crush hate her and/or break her deepest, darkest secret to him. Finally, she had decided to give him the same story as her other normal friends. Somehow, it was easier to imagine than telling it to his face.

Kenji saw the nervous look on her face again and smiled gently. "You can tell me anything, Mika-chan," he promised, reaching out and grabbing her hand carefully with his own.

:Are you sure it was your hand he was reaching for:

_'SHUT UP.'_

Inspired by his words, Mika nodded. It was now or never...

"Well," she began once again. She gulped and said, "I'm not going back to school."

He stared at her for a second or two, before confusion set in. "Not going back?" he echoed. She shook her head. Kenji smiled cautiously. "Well, I can't see why you'd be so upset about it. I mean, everyone is entitled to figuring out their futures for themselves, so if you need to drop out, I can't see a reason to be nervous about my opin—"

"No," Mika cut in. "I mean, I'm leaving our school...and I'm going to another one."

"Oh! You're transferring! Where to?"

Mika sighed heavily. He was certainly cute, but not exactly quick. She smiled secretly to herself, amazed at how she liked that in him. She pulled him over and sat both of them down on the park bench. She gathered up her courage and began again.

"I'm going to England," she said quietly. "It's a transfer student program. I won't be coming back until next summer vacation..." She trailed off, carefully watching Kenji's face. He had lost his smile, but he didn't look angry or upset. After her words set in, he looked almost sad.

He looked her in the eyes sorrowfully. "So...I won't see you at all? This whole year?"

"I could come home during the winter holidays," Mika suggested weakly. Koenma and the letters from Hogwarts told her it was possible, but Koenma had resisted against the idea because it would be such a hassle to cross the world just for a few days off from school.

"No, it's okay," Kenji replied, smiling. He laughed slightly. "England is far off from here. It would be unnecessary."

"But I'm going to miss you," Mika said.

Blushing, Kenji looked away and laughed. "Ah...I'll miss you too," he replied, looking back at her, grinning. "But you'll call, right?"

#Wizards don't have phones# recalled Kurama, who had gotten briefed by Koenma earlier.

"I'm going somewhere really old fashioned. They don't even have phones or electricity!"

Kenji frowned. "But how...?"

"I'll write to you!" promised Mika. She grinned. "Snail mail might be slow, but we'll have some form of contact at least." She would have to find a way to mail a letter without sending an owl through Kenji's window. That would be pretty hard to explain...

"Ha...I'll write back," vowed Kenji, raising his right hand for effect. He smiled warmly. "You are very lucky. England! It'll be nice to escape this place, huh?"

Mika nodded. "Yeah...that's one of the reasons why I'm going. A change in scenery. My mom is worried about me traveling across the world with only Ayumi with me, but she just overreacts."

Kenji paused. "Takei-san is going with you?" he asked.

Whoops..."Uh, yeah. You know how she is. 'I'm going with you whether you like it or not!'" Mika said, quoting Ayumi. She laughed nervously. "She's like my mom."

"Hehe...you're both lucky then," he replied softly. He looked out towards the distant skyline over the trees. It was almost dusk and the setting sun's vibrant colors were beginning to appear. Sighing, Kenji looked out remorsefully. Then, surprising Mika, he turned around with a strange look on his face.

"Yes?" asked Mika.

"Mika-chan...may I...?" he began slowly.

Mika, her heart beating faster, could only nod.

/Hey, what is he—/

Edging closer, Kenji leaned into Mika's face. She willingly leaned forward towards him. For a moment, a static charge went through her when their lips touched...

:GET THAT HORNY BASTARD OFF YOU:

((EWWWW EWWW EWWWWWW EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW))

/.../ Hiei stared forward in some kind of horrified trance.

#_MIKA_!#

Mika felt the charge die. She let out a sound of aggravation and pulled away from the shocked Kenji. She scowled deeply.

"I'm sorry," she said bitterly while she began to play the _'Throw The Demons Across My Brain' _game, flinging each one randomly across the large field of her inner mind. "It's my fault. Nerves."

"Ah..." Kenji looked embarrassed beyond all belief. "I'm sorry! No, I was way too forward! I'm so sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable!"

Giving him her warmest smile, she shook her head. "No...you don't make me feel uncomfortable. It's the exact opposite." She hid the grin she wanted to make as she sent the screaming Kuronue only good hundred or so meters into the air. Karasu was soon to follow.

Kenji looked guiltily at his feet. "I just...I dunno. I can't explain it. The thought of you leaving for so long...I couldn't help myself."

"It's alright," Mika replied. She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. Leaning back, she grinned at the blushing boy. "I'm glad you didn't." There went Kurama.

Both laughed and blushed at their sudden expression of feelings. Mika sighed and leaned back into her seat, trying not to focus on Hiei's cursing as she flung him directly into Karasu, and then proceeded to throw both of them across her mind's sky.

"Man," she whistled. "I really don't want to go now."

"Don't let me hinder your educational advancements," Kenji said cheerfully.

"Aw, but I bet the both of us could educate ourselves _real _well here." She laughed at his returning crimson face. "Aha, I'm kidding. I will miss everyone else, too. Kimi, Sakura...even some of the teachers."

"They'll miss you, too."

"Hmm...not the teachers."

"Well, you do spend a lot of your time causing trouble for them."

"I do not! Well, sometimes, but not on purpose ALL the time!"

They continued to laugh and make jokes. They talked on until it really was dusk and the light was beginning to fade. The street lamps went on. Mika knew she really ought to get home to get ready for the plane ride the next morning. Plus, her mind game was beginning to get old. It was time to go.

"Can you come to see me off tomorrow?" she asked.

Kenji shook his head sadly. "No...I have to help my dad with his stupid garden project." He made a face. "Just my luck to have a yard."

Mika laughed. "It's okay. I don't mind." She stood and looked down at him. "Well...I guess this is goodbye."

"Only for a little while," Kenji added.

They looked at each other, both at a loss for words.

"I really am sorry about this all," Mika said.

Kenji rolled his eyes. "It's alright, really. I mean, it's not like you're leaving forever or off to some secluded magic universe—" Mika swallowed involuntarily. "—And you want to go, right? It's not fair to take it away from you."

Mika grinned sheepishly. "Aw, you have a way with words. Yeah...I do kinda want to go...but I'll miss you—and everyone else," she added quickly. Suddenly, she laughed. "Oh, I feel like I'm in some shoujo comic! Ha ha! Cheesy good byes and all!" Both of them had a good laugh over that.

"Is this the part where I wish you luck with your new life?" Kenji asked, good naturally.

With a smirk, Mika posed dramatically. "Yes! And this is where I get all weepy and throw myself into your arms." She threw herself mockingly at Kenji, who pretended to let her fall, but laughed when she landed on the bench. Sitting her back up, Kenji tapped her gently on the forehead.

"Be safe," he instructed.

"This is the girl who gets miraculously saved from a stalker by a knight in shining armor," Mika said sarcastically. "When have I ever not been safe...or lucky?"

Frowning, Kenji rubbing his head unconsciously. "Hmm...let's hope the next knight you get stays conscious long enough to remember..."

Mika giggled and tapped his head. "You're my only knight," she said. The moment she did, she gasped and flushed in embarrassment. Kenji just smiled at her impulsive behavior.

"And you're my only princess," he said softly.

Oh, that did it. Mika stood up quickly, blushing even more furiously. Kenji laughed and scratched his head.

"Perhaps it is best you're going away for a little while..." he mused. "You can not imagine how cute you look right now, Mika-chan."

"Gah!" Mika blushed and laughed despite herself. "You can't imagine what you're like, Kenji-san."

"Kenji," he corrected.

"Mika," she countered.

Both grinned widely. Mika looked up at the now dark sky and sighed. There was no use putting it off any longer.

"I have to go," she said wearily. "But as soon as I get there, I'll write you a huge letter. Promise!"

"I'll look forward to it," he replied, rising. He walked over and pecked her on the cheek. "See you until then," he said softly.

"You bet," Mika replied just as quiet. She grimaced and had to force her body to turn towards the street. She waved as energetically as she could. "Bye!"

Kenji waved back, but Mika focused her attention on moving her reluctant feet towards the sidewalk. It got easier as she reached the opposite corner, but her heart was still heavy. Then, she reached up and touched her cheek which still tingled from his goodbye kiss. She smiled inwardly. _Good byes aren't forever... _she reminded herself.

And so, Mika flew home on a cloud of adolescent dreams and girlhood love, ignoring the grumbling of her mind guests, her heart a whole lot lighter.

**

* * *

**

OMG THAT WAS THE CORNIEST/STUPIDEST/SICKENING SCENE I HAVE EVER WRITTEN IN MY LIFE. X.x EWW.

lmao everyone keeps saying "ENGLAND?" so that's why this chapter is titled that. XD Hmm...the guys really didn't have much of a part this chapter, surprisingly. Ah, well. You can count on them being there in the next one, for sure:D

-the chill: ...Mika's yet again going to be a bit dramatic in this story, but for good reason. There's something about her demonic powers that she hasn't thought of...because she doesn't want to be reminded of it. It won't be fully explained till the THIRD installment of the IMM series, but the other dramatic stuff is in this story. Yeah...a lot of you are going to hate me for my cruel, evil author-ness. No joke. You will wish me death by the final chapters. MWA. :D  
-lmao I love Ralph  
-a Japanese school year goes like this: a new school year starts in the spring, but the students have summer vacation just like American kids do. After vacation, they continue their current school year. It's odd, but this is a foriegner talking. Haha!  
-MWAHAHA, MS. RYOKO LIVES! XD I knew I had her in the plot somewhere...hmm...I wonder if I can fit her in with Kuwa and Yusuke...hmmm...  
-Ewww Kenji. Ewwww. Lmao, poor guys.  
-Mika will have continual trouble pronouncing foreign names when she is not wearing the ring. There is no "L" in Japanese, so she's not going to be used to saying it. XD Ayumi will have the same problem, so they'll have fun mocking him the whole year. She can pronounce "Ralph" easily because she is so familiar with his name, but I bet she'd sound funny saying it. Yeah...

I will be working hard on the next chapter EXCEPT on the 4-6 of August cause I shall be at my geekiest at the Otakon, cosplay as Riku from Kingdom Hearts II. XD WHOO! Maybe I'll put up a link to a picture of myself on my profile. Not sure I would want to, but I'm real pleased with how my outfit is coming out. Ehehehe I'm so excited! I gotta go get my hair done today. I'm dying it white/blue. Yay!

See ya all later then. Review!


	7. Game Start

Otakon was awesome. I want to go back...! ;.; And I also just saw the final Yu Yu Hakusho episode...LMAO, what did they do, save all the gay-jokes for last? "Is that your girlfriend?" LOL, poor Kurama...

I really want to work on my Kingdom Hearts fan fiction, but I can't until I finish at least this story. X.x I wouldn't be able to handle all the pressure, cause the KH story would be realllly long. Darn. Oh well. I'll probably get to it when I'm in college, lol...

Hmm...I might make an audio drama of the first story, 'cause I'm wracking my brains out trying to find Dumbledore/Harry/Hogwarts people voices. Augh...

**REVIEW ANSWERS  
****Niki Pound **- Ahaha, parents are bizarre creatures, yes? Conflict at Hogwarts...well...perhaps. The way I have it in my mind so far doesn't include a lot of romance between the characters because of all the craziness. But who knows? Anything is possible, especially when we're talking about Mika Murasaki...lol  
**Natsuki of the Mist x3** - lol! Very creative title!  
**CrazyDreamGirl **- Thank you!  
**bookworm0492 **- aha, thanks. I really feel guilty over the guys...aha, not really.  
**Eryn Goddess of Chaos **- whoa, lol. I love the nicknames, too. Aha, and thanks! I can't tell you what Hermione sees...but hopefully I'll get to writing it soon. Lol. Furbies...the epitome of pure evil. Lol, thanks for reviewing!  
**Lacuna Miyamoto **- ...that pairing, honestly, does not sit well with my mind. LOL! It seems rather odd, but I can understand it, kinda. XD Well, you'll be happy with SOME scenes that may occur between the two of them, but it can be interpreted from stupidity to a brother-sisterly relationship. Aha, and Mika's therapist is special. lol...  
**Peeka-chan** - Reactions...lol, I can see the whole Kurama-Snape thing. XD I can tell you that Ayumi is positively horrified at the student's abilities to defend themselves (they suck, lol). Thanks!  
**Dragoness Triplets **- They are kinda like brothers to her...evil ones. Yes, Kenji is the perfect image of Hojo-ness...or maybe not. XD You're gonna have to wait. This is their sixth year, which is perfect because Mika and Ayumi are turning sixteen (Ayumi's birthday is in October and Mika's birthday is in April).  
**Meiza **- it is nice to see that for poor Mika, eh? Aha, everyone likes that game for some reason...XD  
**Niana Kuonji **- ROTFLMAO! "Ralfu"...oh man, that is the best name ever. XD Thanks so much for telling me...and yeah, the guys no hate Kenji even more. Mwahaha...yes.  
**dizappearingirl **- There was a kiss...but it twas interrupted by the brain people, lol.  
**Forgotten-Heart** - Romance is my enemy and my favorite at times, ahaha. I actually didn't dye my hair (it's blond) because we couldn't find white hair dye and my mom didn't let me bleach it. Then, halfway there, I realized I could've bleached a wig. XD I'm stupid sometimes. Maybe I'll post a link to the pictures later on my profile...?  
**Bishquet **- Ayumi'll have plenty of page-time(screen time?) later on, don't worry lol. Thanks for reviewing!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter or Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do own the whole Inside My Mind idea, including Mika, Ayumi, all their original friends and foes.  
**Warnings**: spoilers for the sixth book, crude humor, violence, language and the occasional Karasu-bashing from Mika...poor Karasu. lol!

Can you believe AD has never been on a plane in her life? XD It is true, my friends. Thus, I have limited to no knowledge of what an airport was eight(?) years ago, considering this is happening BEFORE 9/11 and such. That's why the security is not as tight as you'd find it today...according to my mom. Please excuse any "airport" errors. I'm really writing blind here...;.;

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**England, 11 PM**

The silence of night brought still comfort to some. Those people captivated by the absence of sound, however, were deeply asleep. It was unfortunate that for those who were awake, the tiniest sounds that still lingered in the darkness brought them no reprieve from thoughts.

A house, which seemed unlike most normal houses, that sat in the middle of the English countryside, appeared snug and welcoming. Up right in bed sat a young boy in one of its leaning towers. His messy black hair hung wearily in front of his face. He was one of those unfortunate souls who was not asleep and away from the sounds of night. Every time the boards creaked, he'd flinch. The sound of someone turning in a bed next door made him jump. Of course, he had every reason to be so edgy. He was Harry Potter.

Being himself sometimes was more of a curse than a gift. The stares, the questions and critic he could stand while in public. He disliked admiring remarks that many older wizards and very young children made, but he could handle having his amount of fame better than he did a few years back. The one thing, though, that made being himself so hard was because of the dreams.

Dreams were supposed to be an escape from reality, sewn together by memories like puzzle pieces with a hint of imagination here or there. Harry Potter rarely had dreams about talking hippos or silly things like that. No, he dreamt of reality. He had nightmares.

Harry sat back and rested his head against the headboard. He sighed deeply. It had been several months since that horrible night. It was still vivid in his mind and caused havoc with his thoughts at night. Tonight, he had waken up in a sweat, calling out two familiar names that seemed to haunt him...

_Is it going to be like this every night of my life?_ he asked himself wearily. He had asked himself that many times before, but never got an answer.

Tonight's nightmare was different, though. In it he saw strange people talking. Then, a man in blue. He said something but then the whole scene changed. He was back at the Department of Mysteries...he was back to that night. This time, someone new had been there.

"Cedric..." he whispered. He sighed and sat up. It had been a while since he had dreamed of his one-time friend. It was coming close to two years since the disaster at the end of his fourth year of Hogwarts. He had not had a dream about him in a while. Other tragedies plagued him instead. Both were in it this time.

Did it mean anything?

Staring out mournfully at the bleak night sky that was visible through the openings in the curtains on the window, Harry sighed once more. He wished for the umpteenth time he was not himself.

With one more remorseful and wishful thought, Harry laid back down and turned over to try to catch that allusive comfort of sleep.

**&&&&&&&&& Tokyo Airport, 3 Hours Previous (Plus Time Zone Differences), 7AM &&&&&&&&&&**

Koenma had specifically set out to make every moment of Mika's life a living hell on earth. It seemed that way, at least, because he had told her late (around 12AM, actually) the previous day to not go to the Akita airport. No, she had to travel countless miles all the way over to Tokyo's larger air port.

"Why doesn't he just kill me now? Why drag it out?" Mika whined as she dragged her rolling suitcase behind her. "I mean, is that his only goal in life, to make me suffer?"

Ayumi snorted and adjusted the straps of her back pack. "Some day, some day..."

Both were grumpy from the ride over. Mika's parents still had to work and could not see her off (which she was relatively grateful for). Ayumi's mother was sleeping off a late night of work, so it was best she stayed home as well. Those who did come with them had exactly opposite moods.

"This is so exciting!" cried Ralph, running up to the glass doors and then rushing back to his friends. He looked like a small child in a candy store. "I've never been to Tokyo before! I almost went, but my mom wouldn't let me go on that class trip 'cause she said it was too dangerous. I guess it is dangerous 'cause remember that time you guys were almost mugged by those street thugs? Remember? Yeah, well that's probably why—!"

He continued to ramble, ignoring the rage filled face Mika was wearing. Behind the three teens was yet another cheerful looking individual who happened to be Ms. Ryoko, who had driven them all in the first place. Humming to herself, she looked quite pleased.

"I agree with you, Ralph-kun," Ms. Ryoko said. "It is exciting."

"I'm surprised you didn't murder me when you came to pick us up," Mika said sullenly.

Ms. Ryoko laughed airily. "You really think that little of me, Mika-chan?

Mika frowned and edged away. "I quote Karasu: you terrify me."

The doctor's booming laughter echoed them all the way into the lobby of the terminal.

:It's nothing to laugh about.:

_'Tell me about it,' _Mika muttered in reply as she passed through a set of metal detectors. She almost stopped. _'I hope your metal mouth doesn't set off the alarms.'_

#Considering we're just voices in your mind, I don't think so.#

_'You never know with technology these days.'_

((Yep, you just can't.))

_'...you have no idea what we're talking about, do you?'_

((...dragonflies?))

#I really have to stop letting you watch movies#

After sneaking Ms. Ryoko and Ralph past the security guards and putting their larger suitcases away, the four (not counting the mind guests) made their way towards the waiting area where many busy humans lounged in wait for their own flights. It did not take Mika long to find a particular person, thanks to her powerful nose.

"Yo, Lord Binkie!" she called unenthusiastically. She dumped her carry on bag down on some empty seats.

Approaching, the teenage form of Koenma came flanked by Botan. Several feet behind them was a surprising amount of people. There was Yusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai and a red haired man Mika did not recognize. Koenma brushed his long cape back in his usual fashion, distracting her.

"I'm actually surprised you went through with coming here," he remarked.

Ayumi glared at him and flopped down on her own chair. "Stuff it, baby lord." She pulled out a packet of cigarettes, took one and lit it with a lighter. She inhaled deeply.

"Ayumi!" Ms. Ryoko chided. "You are under-aged!"

"So? This whole mess is playing havoc with my nerves!"

Yusuke smirked. "Can you spare one?" Ayumi threw one at him, which he caught with ease.

/I will laugh when they burn up./

_'Hey, can you...?'_

Hiei smirked inside her mind. Out in reality, both Yusuke and Ayumi yelled violent curses when their cigarettes burst into flames directly in their faces. Mika and Ms. Ryoko exchanged satisfied grins as they watched their companions yell and stomp on the burning paper.

"This is why you should never smoke. Either the tobacco will kill you or a midget fire demon hiding in a bystander's mind will," Genkai snorted.

"But you smoke," Mika replied.

"I'm old. I'm allowed to."

Ralph started to jump up and down excitedly. "THIS IS SO COOL!" He smiled brightly at Koenma. "Is there really a evil wizard overlord trying to wipe out mankind?"

Koenma sent Mika a death glare. "Just who all did you tell about this? It's classified!" he growled.

Ms. Ryoko raised an eyebrow. "Overlord?"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Mika screeched, grabbing the gasping Ayumi and made a dash for the exit. Yusuke rolled his eyes, picked up Mika's own suitcase and swung it at her. It caught her underneath her legs, sending both screaming girls tumbling forward in an undignified heap.

"Nice shootin', tex," Ms. Ryoko muttered as she took a seat next to Ayumi's bags.

The red haired man burst out laughing. He had a bizarre accent Mika could not place.

"Aye! Yusuke's got himself a good right arm with a nice belt!" he said with a grin.

Mika raised an eyebrow. A _what?_

"This is Jin," Yusuke explained simply. "He's a wind apparition."

"COOL!" Ralph screamed. He ran over and gave the surprised Jin a hug. He let go and started to dance around. "I hugged a wind appy-thing! WICKED!"

Jin smiled warily over at Yusuke. "Interesting chisellers over here, eh, Yusuke?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ayumi asked, bewildered.

"He's speaking Irish, or Scottish," Ms. Ryoko replied. She smirked. "And that is a skill well needed in a case like this, I suppose?"

"You suppose well," Koenma said. He sat down opposite of her. "Jin is a necessary part in the second part of this operation. Murasaki and Takei know how to behave in a classroom. I hope—," He added, giving the grinning girls a warning glare, "—but they're not the only useful ones. Yusuke and Kuwabara are the most experienced in field work as detectives, save from Hiei and Kurama, who will be keeping Murasaki in check. There is nothing to fear from a mission this well worked out."

"What worries me is that it seems a little too complex for a little baby-sitting job," Ms. Ryoko retorted.

Koenma shook his head. "That's because it is not. There is no time to argue over it now, but I promise that there is no danger to the girls."

"Until the wizards expose us and we get burned at the stake, which will be really ironic," Mika snapped.

/Burned on a stake? Sounds interesting./ Hiei muttered.

((On a stake sounds like a cook out term.))

_'How do you know these useless things?'_

((I honestly don't know.))

"So..." drawled Yusuke. He looked at Mika pointedly, but she had a feeling he was not looking at her. "Fox boy and Hiei ready for this?"

/Is he implying that we are not?./

"Yeah, yeah, they're ready," Mika answered for her guests. "So is Karasu and Kuronue." She glowered at Koenma. "You know, you owe me BIG time. And I mean, giganteum, supernova big time."

"You never fail to remind me," Koenma replied coldly. "Your plane leaves in less than an hour. Do you have all your personal belongings?" Nod. "Do you have your train ticket and directions to the specific locations?" Nod. "Do you have the translator ring?" Mika rolled her eyes. "Do you have your brain?" That earned him a glare.

Ayumi started to laugh, but then stopped. She looked horrified.

"What is it?" asked Botan.

"All this talk of targets and watching a kid...holy crap, I feel like a stalker!" the pyrokinetic exclaimed.

Mika gaped. "OH NO, YOU'RE RIGHT!"

Kuwabara snorted. "So? What's so scary about that, besides it bein' wrong and all?" he asked.

"You've obviously never faced a stalker before," Mika retorted darkly.

:The taste of irony is bitter.:

_'And creepy.'_

#Let's refrain from using that word, alright?#

_'Then, what should I call it?'_

#How about you pretend you're in an action adventure film and you have to inviltrate an enemy's secret lair?#

"COOL!" Mika exclaimed out loud, surprising those around her. She pointed dramatically at Ayumi. "Come on, Yumi! We'll be Secret Agent Ninjas instead!"

"RIGHT ON!"

#...that's not exactly what I meant.#

/Ninjas?./

((COOL! Can I be one too?))

_'No, you can be the plebeian sidekick who gets killed half way through the movie.'_

((-GASP-))

#You used the word.#

:Touche.:

While Kuronue sobbed into the exasperated Kurama's shoulder, Mika focused on the situation in reality. The new guy Jin was conversing very rapidly with Genkai and Yusuke(the former nodded occasionally, but obviously had no idea what the man was saying) and Kuwabara was trying to strike up a conversation with Ms. Ryoko and Ayumi, who both were obviously disgusted. Ralph actually looked excited and talked happily to the orange haired teen, chattering on about one of his favorite baseball teams. Only Koenma and Botan were quiet and sat reserved in their seats. Mika snorted. In less than thirty minutes, she'd be on her way to a whole other world just to save her world. Koenma could be quiet later. It was the last time she'd be able to get a word out of him for a while.

"So," she began once she dumped herself into the seat next to the ruler. "Tell me. Why did this guy contact you?"

"There has always been a long standing connection between the Western and Eastern magical communities," replied Koenma. He looked away and continued. "Cornelius Fudge was always flimsy and unreliable as a leader. However, I can not blame him for his erratic behavior now. I will not lie to you—any of you. Voldemort is a dangerous character, even for a mere human."

"But he's not a mere human," Mika countered, slowly understanding.

Koenma looked at her with a hard expression. "That's why we need people who aren't mere humans."

A silence of understanding past through them.

"So, he was desperate. You volunteered to send us in. Does this school know?" the half-ling asked.

"No," he answered. Ignoring her outraged face, he continued, "I sent a letter to the Headmaster, a Mr. Dumbledore—(_'**Dumble**dore?'_ /Stupid foreigners/)—who accepted the idea of a transfer program. I gave him the cover story that you had been under the care of a private tutor but now you wanted to explore your magical heritage further, thus heading to one of the most outstanding wizard schools in the world." He smirked grimly. "Play the part Mika. You're an Eastern magic student who supposedly has had dealings with magic before."

"But I haven't," she replied, scowling.

"I also mentioned that you have had no dealings with wands or Western spells at all. Just wave some of your psychic skills around and no one will no the difference."

"That's better...but will they be able to tell that I'm a psychic, not a wizard?" Mika asked.

Koenma chuckled. "No worries. To wizards, being psychic _is _being a wizard. That considering, you're heading exactly to the right place."

Mika scowled deeper at that notion. The last thing she needed to know was that she was born a wizard/witch. She was one hundred percent...a human-demon combo person. She sighed and leaned back into her seat. At least she had a presentable cover story that would prevent her from really being staked. But what if she or Ayumi messed up the story? What would happen?

((We all die?))

_'You're done being Emo now?'_

((Uh huh!))

_'Right...plebeian.'_

She smirked evilly when she heard him collapse into sobs again. She then got up and preceded to give Ayumi the cover story. Ms. Ryoko added her two cents and promptly shot the whole plan down. Koenma got annoyed and then arguing ensued...Mika wondered momentarily if the ordinary people around them thought they were all crazy or not...

"What if they check their records? They'd see that they were taught in ordinary schools!" the psychologist said, trying to keep her voice level.

"Tutors don't have to be connected with ordinary schools!" Koenma insisted.

"I vote we say we were home schooled," Ayumi said.

Botan paused. "That's not a bad idea, really."

Not disheartened, Ms. Ryoko retorted, "But still! What if they contact her parents? They know nothing of this cover plan, so what if they expose them by accident?"

Mika snorted. "If a wizard ever showed up on my mother's doorstep, the first thing my mom would do would be to bash them upside the head with a frying pan."

"No lie," Ayumi added with a solemn nod.

Suddenly, the back of Mika's neck tingled. A woman's voice echoed out over the din of the large waiting room.

_"All passengers to flight to London, England, please head towards gate B6 to bording platform. All passengers to flight to London, England, please head towards gate B6 to boarding..."_

"AUGH, OUR FLIGHT!" Mika screamed, leaping to her feet. Suddenly, she was ten times more nervous than she was only seconds ago.

Koenma rolled his eyes. "It hasn't left yet, so calm down."

Mika rushed anyway, collecting her baggage and scolding Ayumi to hurry up. She paused in mid-run, turned around and ran back to Genkai and Yusuke. She bowed deeply to Genkai.

"Thank you very much for putting up with me this far, Genkai-sama!" she said, grinning when she looked up. "Of all the things, you taught me to be afraid of trees and/or brick walls."

Genkai rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. These wizard teachers have no idea what they're getting themselves into. They'll have a handful with the lot of you—all six of you."

:My, no trust.:

_'Do you forget who you are, Mr. It-Was-A-Ploy?'_

:WOULD YOU ALL KINDLY STOP BRINGING THAT UP?.:

#/_'No.'_/#

:Rrrgh.:

"And thank you, too, Yusuke! You're the coolest butt-kicking guy I know!" Mika added to her friend.

Yusuke laughed. "Thanks, kid! Sock that evil lord one for me, you got it?"

"Sure thing!"

She ran over to Ralph and gave him a quick hug. "Scare the squirrels off for me, 'kay, buddy?" she asked.

"I'll clobber them!" cried the younger boy, grinning.

With slightly more respect, Mika bowed to Ms. Ryoko. "Thanks for being the coolest adult ever," she said.

Ms. Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Enough with the manner crap," she chided. She gave the half-ling a bone crushing bear hug and gained one back in reply.

"Have a safe and fun trip!" Botan said cheerfully.

"You'll be hearin' from us soon enough lass, but che better'be on yer toes 'til then," Jin said with a hoot.

"Will do," Mika replied to both.

Finally, with her good-byes and formalities done, Mika turned back to the impatient Ayumi and began to hurriedly follow after her to their schedules gate.

"MIKA—WAIT!" she heard Koenma shout. Turning around while still jogging, she easily caught a heavy bag he flung at her. He said, "It's money for your school things! Don't spend it too quickly because that's all you get until winter break!"

"YEAH, YEAH! SAVE IT, DIAPER BRAIN!" Mika shouted in reply as she hasitly shoved the buldging bag—(_What on earth was Wizard money made of?_)—into her normal bag before she reached the final check point to board the plain. The last thing she needed was to be caught carrying "suspicious materials" onto an aircraft.

Finally, with her carryon bag in tow, she caught up with Ayumi who was anxiously hovering in front of a stewardress. "Finally!" the dark haired girl exclaimed. They both handed their tickets to the lady and then both rushed onto the platform between their plane, the airport and a whole new world...

"There they go," Botan whispered in her spot.

Ms. Ryoko gathered up Ralph immediately afterwards. "We have no business with you spirit people," she said simply as they headed towards the exit. "Go on, save the world. Just make sure our friends make it home safe, got it?"

Genkai also left shortly after the others. She muttered something to Koenma about "working out his little treasure hunt with her own schedule."

Finally, once the normal humans and Genkai were gone and the plane had taken off, Koenma, Botan, Kuwabara, Yusuke and Jin exchanged looks.

"Soo..." Jin began, his hands behind his head. "What're we doin' now? I ain't just gonna drop my life like a hot potato just to stand around like a flamin' eejit, ya know."

"You three will be headed to London via another plane in about another hour," Koenma instructed. "It's important that they do not connect you to Murasaki or Takei. Those two do not exist to you—understand?" All three fighters nodded. "I've already told Kurama the same, so there's not going to be any proof against either of your groups."

"And our cover story is going to work, you think?" Yusuke asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Who would ever suspect three perfectly normal immigrant workers like yourselves to be connected to any conspiracy plots?" Botan asked sweetly. She ignored their pointed stares. "Besides, if you show up to work every day and don't cause any trouble, no one will tell the difference!"

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one headed into this crazy plot," Kuwabara complained.

"Oh, grow up. Honestly, you boys!"

"Aww, come on guys!" Yusuke said, pulling demon and human alike together. "This is a great time to kick back, relax and enjoy a free vacation!"

"Besides the whole world saving thingamajigger?" Jin asked.

"You know it!"

"Hey, are they selling Calbee Potato Chips over there?" Kuwabara asked, pointing at a small stand a short distance away.

After the laughing trio headed over to the concession stand to grab some snacks, Botan looked over at her boss. Seeing them alone, she took that moment to voice her personal thoughts.

"Will the girls be alright?" she asked, worried.

Koenma stared out at the clear blue sky beyond the large windows that lined the wall. He sighed heavily. "I sure hope so," he whispered.

**&&&&&&&&& Onboard Plane &&&&&&&&&&&&**

They took their seats in the economy section, Mika grumbling over the fact Koenma hadn't even gotten them first class tickets. After putting their carry-on bags into the space above their heads, they settled into their cramped seats. Ayumi claimed dibs on the window seat. She had pointed out the fact she was volunteering to go into obvious death and destruction, so Mika's guilt practically overflowed.

:You are pathetic.:

_'Tell me something new, huh?'_

/You're stupid./

_'Thanks, Hiei. Thanks.'_

Once they settled in, Mika sat back and observed her surroundings. Average looking passengers. No one seemed suspicious. She began to sort out emergency escape roots in her mind when she stopped and blinked.

_'Since when did I care about emergency roots?' _she pondered, letting her thoughts go unguarded.

Kurama chuckled. #It is called instinct. All creatures have it, but a demon's instinct is slightly different.#

_'Different?'_

:A demon focuses on survival above all things. They have fighters' spirits. It's only natural that you do, too.: Karasu added, as they began to take off. Mika tensed for a few moments until the plane leveled out and reached its proper altitude.

"Me, natural?" she asked aloud finally, bemused.

"Not on your life," Ayumi replied dryly as she tried to get comfortable in the tiny space that they had.

Mika sighed and murmured in agreement. Her whole life was beyond any definition of normal...

"Refreshments?" asked a stewardess to her side. Mika nodded and accepted two small water bottles and two packets of pretzels. Ayumi took a bottle and played with it. Mika opened hers, but did not drink.

"This is really happening," she whispered.

Ayumi looked in her direction. "Yep. Sure is."

"I hope we can pull this off," Mika said.

"I just hope we can survive a bloody magic school for next nine months without going insane," Ayumi murmured darkly as she unscrewed the cap.

Mika stretched. "Should we cheers to that notion?"

Raising her bottle, Ayumi gave her friend a tired smile. "To insanity!" she cheered.

"To surviving it," Mika countered, smirking at the agreeing comments she got from her guests.

They tapped their plastic drinks together and took simultaneous sips.

**&&&&&&&&& Outside Tokyo Terminal &&&&&&&&&&**

The sleek luxury sedan door shut with a soft slam. Ms. Ryoko reached up, grabbed the sun glasses she had left hanging on the sun visor, and put them on. She didn't look up when Ralph joined her, taking the passenger seat.

"It's illegal for you to sit there," she lied.

"It's illegal to do what you just did," the child retorted.

"Hmm. Point."

Ralph sighed as the car started and started out towards the parking lot exit. He gave the doctor a sad look. "Mika's not really going to get into trouble, is she?" he asked.

Ms. Ryoko frowned. "Not if we can help it."

"But she'll get so mad!"

"She's always mad!"

Pausing, Ralph nodded. "Well, yeah, but it's scary when that anger is directed at me in general."

They sat in silence as they drove. A few minutes past. Ralph looked up when he heard Ms. Ryoko laugh quietly. A large grin had appeared on her face. "Angry or not, Mika Murasaki needs our help. She'll deny it until her dying breath, but that kid really is a danger magnet. I mean, who else in this world can trap people in their mind, get turned into a demon and then get chased by stalkers all in one day?" the doctor laughed. "No, Ralph-kun, she will be angry but also very grateful with our little plan."

"And what is our plan?" asked Ralph slyly. He smirked impishly.

Ms. Ryoko sent him an identical look. "Let's begin it this way..."

Their evil laughter flooded into the high way, other drivers casting the pair wary looks as they drove by...

**&&&&&&&&&& Nagoya, Japan: Airport &&&&&&&&&&&**

_The board is in order. The pawns are set. My rules are in play..._

"All passengers to flight to Berlin, Germany, please head towards gate A12 to board plane. All passengers to flight to Berlin, Germany, please head towards gate A12 to board plane..."

In the cover of the shadows being cast by the pillars, a single person stirred. They tilted their head towards the sound of the speaker. In a contemplative moment of silence, they observed the few people nearby who were getting up to reach their flight. The woman over the speaker continued to announce the message loudly over the bustling crow

Finally, the figure let out a long, relieved sigh that had been locked within them for quite some time.

_The game begins..._

"Mika Murasaki..."

A sinister grin rose up on their face.

_And here I come._

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Oh boy, does Mika ever get a break? XD Who this is shall not be revealed until...well, pretty much at the end. You will make guesses and assumptions at who Mika's new stalker/rival is, but I refuse to give out any info...but I will say that he/she is my absolute favorite villain in all of my fan/original stories:D Yay for the criminally insane! They like games, if you didn't guess, haha...

-haha If any of you have ever watched the 2005 version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (with Johnny Depp!), you'd get the whole "dragonflies" thing. XD  
-Ah, there's Harry! Remember, the time zones are different...I hate it! ;.; Please don't get confused!  
-omg, I love Jin. I had and will have so much fun writing him, at least in dialogue. I'll post the meanings of the slang words later. Oh, an the real name for the Irish language is Gaelic, but Jin's using more of Irish slang than the real language itself.  
-Mika and Ayumi are on a plane that flies directly to England. The mysterious person from Nagoya is going on a flight that stops at Germany and then they'll have to go to another flight from there to England. XD I think I know what I'm doing...lol  
-OH BOY, Ralph and Ms. Ryoko make a diabolical pair when constructing plans. ooooh boy.  
-Plebeian means "commoner" or "ordinary," BTW. That word shall appear frequently, lol.  
-Calbee Potato Chips: apparently vegetable flavored potato chips. I have heard they're pretty good.

**REVIEW!**


	8. Welcome to England

No, you are not hallucinating! xD I have updated! REVIEW ANSWERS ARE ON MY LJ!

POLL TIME! I've been having trouble working with this whole crossover thing…Who would (or would not) care if I restarted the story and got rid of the whole HP x-over thing. I mean, I reallllly love HP and the whole crossover, but what do YOU guys think? I can make it work practically the same way without Harry Potter being there, only no Hogwarts or magic. XD I'm really caught between the two ideas, but since I've already written this much for the HP…ah well. Either would be fine to me. Send me your opinions!

Nevertheless, here is chapter eight. Rather short. Sorry! Please note that the girls are speaking English.You'll see the difference soon enough.

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* * *

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Mika Murasaki had never been an overly happy person. This was especially true when her plane landed safely in the London International Airport. People around them were speaking a language she normally couldn't even understand, but thanks to her dandy new silver ring she had slipped on while on the trip over, their words were clear as crystal. She also had gotten her luggage back in mint condition and there wasn't even that long of a wait. Those things normally would have made her happy enough not to complain. However, Fate dealt them a low-blow hand that immediately sent her happiness down the drain.

"It is three AM and I am as tired as hell," she said coldly as she and Ayumi made their way towards the airport exit with all their bags in tow.

"Strange, eh?" Ayumi muttered. "Shouldn't we be wide awake?"

"Yeah. Maybe it's just from the trip?"

Whatever the reason was, Kuronue had already drifted off, after playing his favorite mind game, Poke-Your-Neighbor-Until-They-Explode. Karasu, the usual loser, had turned his attention to exploding as much of the empty space in Mika's subconscious as possible, miserably failing to find any other targets than the Hill and the Exit (and both seemed impervious to damage). Mika had been smart to hide her Memory Door from the rage-filled demon's wrath. Mika herself had come close to losing the game, but thankfully Karasu had a shorter fuse than she did. Kurama and Hiei plain ignored their companions, Kurama experimenting with the grass on the floor and Hiei taking a nap. The short fire apparition had woken up just in time when they landed. Unfortunately, he missed something important.

/Nani no hasuike o shite iru no desu ka?./

Mika stopped on the sidewalk and made a confused face. _'What?' _she asked incredulously.

Hiei bristled. /SHIMATTE!./

Kurama half-smiled and held up his right had wordlessly, showing his identical silver ring. Hiei growled and rummage in his pocket, muttering angrily in Japanese.

_'Ah.'_ Mika understood and continued to walk alongside Ayumi, who was running on only fumes of energy. The poor human girl stumbled in Mika's wake. Mika frowned. "Don't worry, Koenma got us a nearby hotel. Let's just get a taxi and we'll crash as soon as we get to our room."

"Thank the gods for small favors," Ayumi said with little enthusiasm.

Both grumbling girls finally found a taxi and Mika gave the driver the proper directions. The hotel turned out to be an absolutely ordinary motel only blocks away from the center of the historic city. Mika paid the driver, thankful that Kurama had reminded her earlier that week to exchange some yen into British pounds.

_'Why do I suddenly have to have so many new money currencies?' _she complained. _'Wizard cash, British dollars...jeez!'_

#Would you rather one of us steal what you need?# Kurama asked, mischief gleaming in his eyes.

Mika scowled as she and Ayumi headed towards their room after checking in at the desk and entering the tiny elevator. _'Dream on, thief boy.'_

#Thought so.#

Their room was small, with only two beds and a moderate sized TV. It had a musty smell and it was like some stranger's home rather than a hotel. Mika immediately shut the curtains on the window, dumped her bags at the foot of one of the beds and flung herself into the pillows. Ayumi was slightly more reserved and managed to adjust the alarm on the clock that lay between their beds on a table. She grimaced at the neon red numbers that gleamed back.

"I'll kill that baby, I swear I will," Ayumi vowed as she switched off the light. She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillows.

**&&&&&&&&&& Next Morning, 9 AM &&&&&&&&&&&&&**

Whoever invented the concept of time zones deserved much more than a painful death, or at least according to Mika. Her exhaustion from the trip had finally been overcome by her natural time clock and it took her at least five minutes to successfully wake when the alarm began to buzz. It took her a minute to realize she was not in her room, but in a British hotel and the faithful snores from Ayumi reminded her of the situation.

_'Darn it...' _she thought darkly, covering her face with her hand. _Okay, time to process the situation._ She was in England and had no idea where in the world she was besides that. She knew that she would be dead on her feet all morning long, but wide awake the moment night came. That would suck. Then again, today, something absolutely unbelievable was going to happen.

"Shopping," she mumbled, sitting straight up. With wizards of all beings. She slid her legs slowly over the side of the bed. Her hair must have been atrocious and she was still in her clothes from yesterday, but she didn't care. Wearily, she stared at Ayumi who was still out cold. The alarm buzzed on obliviously. Mika scowled and shut it off. This was going to be a long day.

The guys were all safely asleep or hiding somewhere, so Mika quickly showered and changed into clean clothes. That was one major thing she missed about having her own body. She had to make sure certain eyes were turned away during specific times. She scowled as she pulled on her socks. Why couldn't they have been girl demons?

:That's all relative, if you consider the fox.:

_'Dream on—oh wait, that is your dream, right?'_

:YOU ARE SICKENING!:

_'I try my hardest.'_

Kuronue suddenly popped up out of no where, which wasn't all that strange considering it _was_ Mika's mind. ((I'M HUNGRY!)) he cried.

Mika looked down as her stomach gurgled angrily. She sighed. _'Me, too. I wonder what English people eat?'_

:Food?:

_'A-derhay.'_

:WHAT?:

_'...just shut up.'_

Ayumi suddenly sat up in her bed, her eyes wide. Mika observed her friend look around the room, grunt, and then fall back with an exhausted groan.

"And the dead shall rise?" Mika said, raising an eyebrow. She only got a mumble in reply. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her pillow and threw it at her friend.

"OW! WHAT THE HECK?"

Mika stretched as she stood up. "Today's going to be a long day. We better get started now," she said.

Ayumi gave her the darkest glare a sleep-disorientated teenager could give. "Remind me why we're friends again?" she asked.

"Because you love me?"

"I must have been _delusional _to say that."

Scowling, Mika gathered up Ayumi's clothes and put them at the foot of her bed. "Backing out time left eleven hours ahead when we were leaving Japan. We have to make the best of the few days we have here before school starts." Cringing, Mika realized she just sounded serious. Yuck.

Groaning, Ayumi gave in and slowly staggered to full consciousness as she literally slid off the bed to the cool wooden floor.

#I have a sneaking suspicion we are not going to be fully functioning for a while, yet.#

'_Aren't you tired?'_

#Yes, but we have more important things to focus on than sleep deprivation.#

'_Do you realize what you just said?'_

#…Not really.#

'_Thought so.'_

((FOOD))

'_ALRIGHT.'_

/…/ Hiei silently walked away and settled down near the hill again.

Finally, once both girls had made sure they were dressed and ready, they left the hotel room. The woman behind the lobby desk bid them hello and so did the doorman. Their innocent and welcoming behavior made Mika perk up a bit as she and Ayumi wandered in their new surroundings. After a few blocks, she actually started to enjoy looking around. The streets all had names, apparently, and it pleased Mika to realize she could read them. Traffic was bad and growing considerably as they got closer to the more active part of the city. For some reason, it all made Mika feel a whole lot better.

:Nothing like smog and the stench of humans to cheer you up.:

((Aren't all the smells bothering you, Mika?))

Mika rubbed her extra-sensitive nose lightly as they waited to cross a street._ 'It is annoying to pick up every single scent in a five block radius, but it's not too bad if I don't sniff in too much. It's kind of like walking around Tokyo.' _She smiled._ 'Besides, it's nice to have so much going on around me. It feels like home, almost.'_

Ayumi tapped her shoulder and held up a folded piece of paper. "Koenma's directions that came with the hotel directions," she said.

Unfolding it, Mika could see neatly printed English. She grinned. It was the set of directions to the wizard-shopping place, Diagon Alley. It sure beat wandering around aimlessly, she thought.

"Okay. Make a left at Market Avenue and then…"

**&&&&&& Twelve minutes later &&&&&&**

Who ever had written the directions deserved a whole lot of pain, both girls decided. After spending a good five minutes getting lost, almost getting hit by a trolley and searching for a nearly impossibly hard to find back street, the girls still had no idea where they were. They asked some passing people for help, but most had never even heard of the location.

#That's probably because they aren't wizards.#

'_IF I WANT A COMMENTARY, I'LL ASK FOR ONE!'_

:Like we care.:

((WHERE'S THE FOOD?))

'_FOR THE LOVE OF THE GODS…!'_ Mika swung out her foot and kicked at a random wall. Part of the stone crack, causing both Asian girls to freeze in horror. People passing skirted around them nervously, but no one noticed the actual damage, thankfully. After all, most teenage girls can't crack solid stones…

"Nice kick," Ayumi said.

Mika scowled. "I don't need sarcasm."

"No, seriously. Look." Ayumi pointed at the sign hanging above their heads.

Mika and Ayumi stared at the sign, which swung mockingly in the slight breeze.

:That, I believe, is called irony.:

/No, that's just stupidity./

"Ah, what the heck, I'll take which ever just as long as I get where I'm supposed to," Mika muttered. She reached over and pulled on the metal door handle. It swung open and the smells of food, warmth and people washed over them.

((FOOD, INSIDE, NOW!))

((I'LL EAT YOUR BRAIN!))

:Don't. It's so tiny, it wouldn't be worth it.:

Both girls quickly stepped inside and shut the door. It was rather dim in the entry area, but a few steps in revealed the wide and active room where people were eating, talking and enjoying the welcoming glow of the fireplace.

So these are wizards, Mika thought. They seemed average enough, save the fact they were all wearing long robes and some were accompanied by owls and other bizarre creatures. A mother was fixing her child's wrinkled clothes while her knitting needles continued to knit by themselves next to her. A man behind the counter was somehow making piles of paper float in midair! Both foreign girls stared in amazement as they watched him move things effortlessly.

:Can they spontaneously explode things out of no where? I think not.:

((Or fly with wings?))

'_Oooh, I detect jealously from you guys.'_

/I just detect stupidity from you. As usual./

Before Mika could snap at him, Kurama stepped in. #We should go ask where to find Diagon Alley,# he said.

'_Yeah, I guess so,_' Mika replied. She turned to speak to a wizard walking past them. "Excuse me, do you know—hey!" she cried after being shoved to the side by the large wizard who didn't even cast her a second look. Growling, Mika shouted, "Hey! Watch it!"

Ayumi yawned and adjusted her purse. "Shouting so early is pointless," she mumbled, with beady eyes.

"Ignoring people in distress is more pointless!" Mika shouted back. She tried to call out over the loud room, "Excuse me! A little HELP here!"

:They're smart enough to ignore you.:

/Who knew./

_'I'M NOT ASKING YOU!'_

#And would that matter to those two…why?#

_'...YOU'RE MIND VOICES! I SHOULDN'T ASK YOU ANYTHING!'_

((Exxxxactly!))

_'Die.'_

((No.))

_'Please?'_

((...well...))

#I think we'd all do best if you just ignored everything we say, Kuronue.#

((OKAY!))

_'...right.'_ Glaring determinedly out into the boisterous crowd, Mika slowly began to come up with an idea. Ayumi looked at her friend with mixture of mild wariness and tiredness.

"Planning on doing something stupid again?" the pyrokinetic asked.

Mika flashed her friend a cocky grin. "When have I ever not?"

:I concur.:

Ignoring her mind minion's comments, Mika looked back into the noisy tavern with her infamous look of conviction. Putting on her best defiant stance and holding her head up high, she took a breath and yelled out at the top of her lungs.

"I HAVE COME TO SMITE YOU!"

That got at least some of the wizards' attentions, who immediately reached into their cloak pockets.

/That's it, get us shot again./

_'Last time it was with smelly blue ogres and stalkers, remember?'_

:I don't want to remember.:

Mika had no time to reminisce on her last great supernatural adventure, as in the time it took her to finish her declaration and speak inwardly to her guests, she soon found herself face to face with a stick and a very creepy looking man.

_'Aw, heck, not this again!'_

"Who the hell are you?" demanded the scary looking man. Mika felt a chill go up her spine when she got a good look at his eye, which was spinning around madly in its socket. It took her a few milliseconds to realize that it was fake.

"WH-OOOA," Ayumi said, grabbing Mika's shoulders and pulling her friend back. She too looked unnerved by the stranger. "We're just foreigners with no concept of respecting international boundaries! No need to be swinging pointy sticks around!"

_'That's probably what happened to his eye.'_

/Care to focus?/

Mika held up her hands in wary submission. "See? I'm harmless. A little loud, albeit, but I'm not dangerous!"

"Alabaster," came a weary voice. Mika looked up to see another stick-armed wizard, who thankfully looked a little bit more normal, even if he did look sickly (_'Man, he has a lot of facial scars.' _#Don't be rude.#). He looked over her and Ayumi before turning back to the wild-eyed man. "That's enough. They're just children."

"And since when does age make a spit of a difference to the other side?" hissed the scary man.

Ayumi cocked an eyebrow. "Umm, are you referring to that crazy dude, Vordeemor?" she asked.

Every single head in the room froze and then turned to stare in horror at the newcomers. Despite Ayumi's mistranslation of the name, it was still easily recognized. Mika could have buried her head into her hands and hid in a corner for the rest of the trip.

_'Argh, she just beat the purpose of the whole laying low and not standing out thing!!'_

#Did you just forget what you just did moments ago?#

_'...yes.'_

#Mika...#

_'OKAY, I'M JUST AS BAD!' _She pointed at the glowering Hiei and Karasu. _'THEY'D BE EVEN WORSE, MIND YOU!'_

/Don't point at me, stupid woman./

Kuronue grinned. ((Point!)) He poked his finger against the side of the other demon's forehead.

Mika quickly left her thoughts as her mind field burst into vibrant flames. She gave the man who defended them a weak smile. "I'm very sorry for our actions. We've come here from Japan. We're not quite...used to the customs and mannerisms here yet." She bowed deeply. "We apologize!" Ayumi yelped and followed suit, saying the same. Their actions seemed to baffle the scary man, but the tired one just smiled and waved his hands.

"There's no need to apologize. You've come at a rather edgy time. It's not very good to shout out into crowds anymore," he said with a small smile. Mika flushed with embarrassment. The man held out his hand. "My name is Remus Lupin. Welcome to England."

"First decent greeting we got since coming here," Ayumi muttered as she stretched out her hand and shook Lupin's. "I'm Takei Ayumi."

Mika smiled back. "I'm Murasaki Mika."

Lupin paused. "So, your first name is Mika?"

"OH! I forgot!" Mika cried. "Argh, this is so weird! Oh, well. I guess I'm Mika Murasaki here."

"Ayumi Takei," Ayumi repeated, frowning.

((You didn't introduce us!))

'_Gee, why would I do that, Kuronue?'_

((...cause you're mean?))

'_No.'_

((Ah, well. I tried.))

:Don't try anymore:

"Why are you here?" demanded the gruff man.

"His name is Alastor Moody," Lupin cut in.

"Rupin and Moodi, gottcha," Ayumi said. She paused. "DAMMIT!"

Lupin smiled. "It's alright," he said. He stopped and then asked, "Are you, by any chance, going to Hogwarts?"

"Yes," Mika replied, smiling. "We, ah, were home schooled before, so to speak. Now, our teacher wanted us to experience western magic."

'_Shit, did I get the story right?'_

#Pretty much.#

Moody scowled deeper, but Lupin continued to do the talking. "Hogwarts is one of the best schools in the world to be learning magic," Lupin said, smiling comfortingly. "You're a tad old for first years, so I suppose you're in the upper grades?"

Ayumi opened her bag, shifted through the papers from Koenma and then pulled out her letter. Her eyes widened. "Wait...these were Japanese yesterday!" she exclaimed. "Why are they in English now?"

"Magic, duh," Mika said.

"Dumbledore took care in making sure you could understand the letters," Lupin noted. "I suppose the letters' languages would change according to the one you are speaking presently."

'_Sneaky bastards.'_

((-snort-))

:Magic is starting to make me nervous.:

"Well, we're in sixth year," announced Ayumi. "Whoa, we're going to have to catch up on a lot!"

"Weren't you taught in your native land?" inquired Moody, his eyes rolling wildly before landing directly on Ayumi, who mimicked his scowl.

"Roll that thing my way one more time and I'll scratch out your good one!"

"YUMI!" Mika hissed, hitting her on the head.

Ayumi grabbed her head and cried, "OW!"

/Ha./

Mika turned around mentally and hit him on the head.

/OW!/

'_Ha.'_

/WHY YOU!/

"We should get going," Mika said through gritted teeth as she tried to not focus on her sudden migraine. "Do you two by any chance know where Diagon Ally is? Our teacher instructed us to go there to get supplies for school."

Both men smiled a secretive smile. Moody cleared his throat and began to turn around. "Follow me, then," he said. Even though his real eye was pointed in another direction, his fake one was still pinned on the foreign girls.

"O-okay," Mika said, adjusting the bag she had in her hand that contained their wizard money.

/Don't you remember what happened last time you went along with a disturbed human?/

'_I battled like a crazy person on the second floor of a rundown warehouse and then I shot a guy in the eye with a staple gun.'_

:Even I must admit that was your finest moment.:

((STAPLES! Are they edible?))

'_...yes, Kuronue. Yes.'_

((COOLIES!))

#Oh, inari...#

Gathering their courage, Mika and Ayumi bowed towards Lupin again and then followed after the hobbling Moody, who was surprisingly fast on his uneven legs. Mika only then noticed he looked as though he had mismatched body parts all over and had even more scars than Lupin did. Moody looked as though he was a war veteran.

"What do you do, as a profession?" Mika asked, as they moved past some nervous wizards. That was a safer question to ask rather than to specifically inquire about his scars...

A grunt. "I'm an auror."

"What's that?" asked Ayumi.

"I catch wizards that go bad," Moody said. Even when speaking normally, he sounded like he was growling.

:Great. Another "police.":

Mika stared at Moody with new eyes. To her guests surprise, the look she was giving to the auror was a mixture of awe and idolization.

:...you're scaring me more than usual, brat.:

'_BITE ME!'_

Moody opened a wooden door and stepped out. Following him, both Asian girls realized they were in a small court yard. In front of them was a brick wall.

"Well, that was sure fun. Time to go home," Ayumi announced, sarcastically.

"Ssh!" Mika said, serious.

"Take yer wand and tap these bricks in this order," Moody said, tapping his stick in an almost-circle on the surface of the wall. "If you want to get back inside, you'd better know it."

_Three up, two to the right...okay, _Mika muttered mentally as she followed Moody's pattern. A point did go to the wizards, she had to admit, for putting a kind of barrier, or whatever this was, around the alley.

#It's a rather simple code, though.#

'_Yeah, but it's better than leaving just a hole in the wall.'_

Hiei tensed. /Pay attention, Murasaki./

Mika snapped back to reality just in time to hear Ayumi gasp in amazement. Moody moved to the side and once she saw past his burly form, she knew why her friend was so shocked. The bricks, once a solid form, were moving rapidly on their own. When each brick folded back into its own proper place, it formed a curved archway that glowed as the morning sun hit it.

All five demons were paused in shocked silence.

'_...okay, so they totally pwn us.'_

Karasu growled:This is only the beginning, brat. :

((The wall...moved...by itself.))

#It's not THAT shocking, Kuronue.#

/You're talking to the moron that thought the talking black box in your room was speaking to him.

((Shut up! I just never saw a radio before!))

'_This is coming from the guy who worships the TV like a god.'_

#Why is everyone torturing Kuronue today?#

:When have we ever not made it hell on earth for one another?:

#Point.#

Mika stepped closer and gazed out past the archway. Her eyes widened as the clear image of people hustle around a small and narrow street came to view.

"Holy crap," she said.

With wide eyes of those of a small child, Mika stared out in awe at the tiny but bustling street. There were women dashing there and children running amongst huge displays outside shop doors. Behind glass windows were glittering and eye-capturing sights. Black kettles hung outside one shop and outside another were stacks of second hand books. Mouthwatering smells wafted towards them from ice cream parlors and open aired cafes. Mika had never thought anything looked so amazingly different.

"Whoaaaaaa," Ayumi breathed finally. She adjusted her shoulder bag absentmindedly as she gazed out at the foreign sights.

:I can't imagine how you two would react to the Makai.: Karasu snorted.

'_It's just…different,'_ Mika explained. She sidestepped a hurried wizard and looked around. Moody has left them, obviously, leaving them all alone in their shock. "Where on Earth do we begin?" she asked aloud.

Ayumi jingled the money pouch at her side. "We don't need to go to the bank or currency exchangers," she said.

"There are so many shops," Mika replied, gazing up with the same stupefied look. "Where should we start?"

"Forward!" cried Ayumi, pointing ahead of them. Both girls grinned at each other and then took simultaneous steps into the strange new world.

**

* * *

**

Sorry it took so long to post. The next chapter is long, Harry-included, and bluntly hilarious. Mika gets a pet. Ohhh boy. :)

**A/Ns  
**-logically, Mika and Ayumi should have been wide awake at 3AM England time, but they were tired from the trip over. Plus nerves. Just wait until night. They'll be up until four again. LOL.  
-Nani no hasuike o shite iru no desu ka "what are you talking about?" XD I hope that's right..."Shimatte" is a basic curse. Bad Hiei!  
-"A-derhay" is something I say a lot. LOL.  
-"the streets had names…" It's very common in Japan for most streets not to have names at all. Fun fact!  
-"Vordeemor" and "Rupin and Moodi" ... lol there is no "L" in the Japanese alphabet. Japanese usually pronouce it as "R." Also, I noticed (mostly from watching subs and listening to Jrock XD) that Japanese sometimes skip over "t"s at the end of an English word. Dun know why. As I mentioned before, the girls will have a hard time saying names they aren't used to, since the Translator ring does not alter proper names. They'll practice and get better at saying names, don't worry.

Lol for the longest time, I thought that Moody's name was Alabaster. XD Oops.


	9. The Shopping Experience From Hell

**AD IS A MOMMY!** lol. No, seriously, I just got a new pet: A SNAKE! Ooooh, he's so cute! I named him Noah Snape (the Sexy Beast) Voldemort -last name- the First. XD My sister helped me with the middle names. Noah's still a baby but he's already over a foot long. My mom is ranting about signs of the devil and such. Lolz. I love Noah so much just for that...

Sorry for the wait. Lots of shit happened in real life. Trouble with friends, mid-terms. Yeah. The usual. Oh, and I went to see Dir en Grey (best jrock band ever) live and that was one of the best nights of my life. Lol. Well, I've updated, at any rate. Decent length chapter, too. Plenty of Harry/co and random humor to go around as well. Ayumi and Malfoy meet for the first time and trust me, first impressions last a life time. Lolz. Oh, and Kuronue is very amusing this chapter, though I wonder what I have done to his character's canon personality...? Lol!!!

REVIEW ANSWERS ON LJ. Much neater that way.

Please check out KamaKaze no Kage 's account on DeviantArt. She's made so many fan arts for me in a comic about IMM. ;.; She rocks and deserves a lot of love!

OH. Please note that some people that aren't there in HPatHBP _will _be here in this story, just for sanity's sake. More notes on this at the bottom of the next chapter.

* * *

"What the hell is this?" asked Mika as she stared at the large, circular metal object in the palm of her hand. It was solid gold, weighed a ton and had strange symbols on it. 

"Money, apparently," answered Ayumi. She looked at the small paper note that had been in with the pouch of money. "Let's see. That'll be a Galleon. The silvers ones are Sickles and the bronze are Knuts. It takes twenty-nine Knuts to equal a Sickle and seventeen Sickles to equal a Galleon." She scowled. "And here I thought we were leaving math behind us forever."

((It's shiny...))

_'Do not go kleptomaniac on me, bat boy. I'll materialize you right here and let those wizards burn you on the spot.'_

((AWWW! But it's SHINY!))

Mika dropped the strange coin onto a dirt covered part of the cobblestone path and ground it into the mud with her heel. Picking it up, she smirked.

_'And the shiny is gone.'_

((SHINY NO!))

:Oh, dear god.:

"I'm going to ignore that bout of pointless action and sort the money a while," Ayumi said, rummaging in the bag. She stopped. Looking up, she had a slight smile on her face. "Hey. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Mika bit her lip. "Does it have to do with somehow imploding my brain without leaving me a vegetable?"

"Uh, no."

"Then, no. What's your thought?"

"Ladies love to shop and considering we're ladies, we're going to love shopping with the wizards," Ayumi said slowly, her smile mounting to a grin. She fingered a silver sickle. "And what does a shop-savy lady bring with her when she goes on a massive buying spree?"

Uh. "I don't know," Mika replied.

/That only proves that you're not female./

_'SHUT YOUR MOUTH!'_

Ayumi flipped the coin and caught it, her face lighting up. "We get ourselves some male packmules to carry our loot!" she exclaimed.

:...she is not talking about us, is she?.:

Mika grinned evilly. _'You bet your muzzle she is.'_

:IT'S NOT A MUZZLE!.:

_'Breathing cannister, whatever.'_

:...just forget it.:

#Ayumi may be right about you two needing to have someone carry all of your needed items during this trip, but don't forget, Mika,# Kurama began, serious. #We can't just pop out like you want us to. What if someone sees us?#

Mika furrowed her brow. Looking around, she saw that the gateway to the Leaky Cauldron had closed back up (_'Crap, how are we getting back?!'_) and even though the street wasn't necessarily crowded, there weren't many places to suddenly throw out three and a half full grown men out of her mind.

/Three and a half?/

_'Yeah. And a half.'_

/Do you always have a death wish?/

_'Uh huh. Too bad wishes are never granted_.' Mika looked over to her right. Now that she was actually inside, she noticed several things she had not seen before. There were many signs—MOVING signs—with strange messages on them. These posters covered many of the buildings. The few people that were shopping looked sober and withdrawn as they carried on their business. Mika wondered if wizards were allowed to be cheerful.

#They're under the constant threat of annihilation from a dark overlord, remember?#

_'Oh yeah. I guess that explains it,'_ Mika murmured softly to them. She turned to look at a strange store that seemed to be selling potions or elixirs of some sort when she noticed something. Her face lit up. _'AN ALLEY!'_

:Shit.:

"I'll be right back after I relieve myself," Mika announced as she walked casually towards the narrow break in between the buildings.

Ayumi smirked and leaning against the shop wall, counting the money. "Don't get lost," she replied.

Mika grinned and slipped into the shadowy entrance. Once she was successfully out of view of the street, Mika closed her eyes.

_'Okay, gents, here's how it's going to work: two of you go with me, two of you go with Ayumi.'_

/Why would it be necessary to go with either of you?/

_'Cause we have the paperwork, you don't.'_

:Bitch:

_'Love you too.'_

#What if they have some kind of protection spell up?#

"We'll find out and see, then," Mika said. With that, she focused her energies.

Outside, Ayumi had successfully divided the money into two shares. If she and Mika split and the guys were split between them, their shopping experience wouldn't take so long. She mentally hoped to not get stuck with Hiei, considering they would most likely set the whole neighborhood on fire. Suddenly, she felt a large burst of psychic and then demonic energy. Wincing, Ayumi hoped it would not be big enough to alert the wizards. At first, her hopes were granted and no one seemed to be interested in the flare of energy, but then something else got their attentions...

"YOU LITTLE WENCH!"

"OW! THAT'S MY FOOT!"

"Get the _hell _away from me."

"WHERE AM I?"

Ayumi cringed as the sounds of disorder filled the tense air. Several passing wizards froze in alarm, but Ayumi waved them away, smiling as friendly as she could.

"Sorry, those would be my friends—,"

Kuronue came out of no where and slammed into her. Ayumi gasped and fell over. "OW!"

Freezing, Ayumi screamed as a horrifying thought came to her. _Kuronue...bat...ears...SHIT!_ "Kuronue, get down—!"

Kuronue looked up at her, surprised. Ayumi blinked. The long ears she had expected to see were gone. Instead, there were two ordinary, very-human ones. Kuronue's hair was still held up a pony tail, both long and purple, and he was still wearing his T-shirt and jeans. Other than that, he looked ordinary.

"Uh," she heard Mika say. "You two okay?"

Looking up, Ayumi saw Mika and the other three standing there. Karasu looked rightfully pissed off and the other two looked annoyed. Karasu still had his mask and long over coat. Kurama and Hiei both looked the same as well. Then why did Kuronue...?

"Did you clip him?" Ayumi asked, warily pointing at Kuronue's head.

"No," Mika answered, staring pointedly at the bat demon. "Hey, Kuro, didja notice that your ears shrunk?"

Kuronue paused and then slowly lifted his hands. He touched the side his head where his normally-long ears had been. His eyes widened.

"AHHHHHHH, I'M MUTATED!"

"Kuronue," Kurama began, sighing. "You're not mutated."

While Kuronue screamed on, Mika asked, "What's wrong with him, then?"

"I do believe our rings were specially designed," Kurama replied with a strained smile.

_Ah_. Mika grimaced and looked away. "How bloody thoughtful of them." She turned to Kuronue, who was currently beating on Karasu in his panic, and said, "Oi! Calm down! You're not dying!"

"BUT I'M **UGLY**!" he wailed.

"You just noticed now?" asked Karasu, his patience thinning by the second. He threw the hysterical bat from him and straightened his jacket. "This is as degrading as it's ever going to get, so let's get this over with."

"No, I guarantee it'll get worse," Ayumi vowed, standing. She shook the money pouch, which was now relatively smaller. "Mika, this is yours. Now, let's divide up and get shopping before we get arrested."

"I have a better idea than just two of us going with one of you girls," Kurama interrupted. He continued to say, "If Hiei and I gather your books and paper materials, Ayumi and Kuronue can go and get robes and trunks, and then Mika and Karasu can get the remaining items, like potion supplies and cauldrons. Then, we can meet up and get you two wands. It will cut our work much shorter that way."

"Why do I have to baby-sit the brat?" demanded the outraged Karasu.

"Why do I have to baby-sit the demented one?" cried Ayumi.

"How in the name of Diapered Princes did you memorize what we needed to get?" asked Mika.

Silence.

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Are you using his name as a way of exclamation now?"

"Was the only thing I could think of," Mika muttered, kicking at an imaginary rock.

Kurama sighed again. "Are we in agreement with that plan?" he asked. Most of them nodded, save for Hiei and Karasu. "You two are the minority, so we'll go with it," Kurama said. He quickly divided the money again into three piles. He kept one for himself and the other two went to Mika and then to Ayumi. "This is a large amount, so we should be alright, money wise."

"Now we just have to make sure we don't cause an inter-magical war," Mika said, scowling. "And I'll be the one to get blamed for anything if you guys screw up."

"After this is over, can we fix my ears?" whimpered Kuronue, touching his head gingerly.

Ayumi rolled her eyes. "Let's get going, bat boy!" She grabbed his arm and began marching in the opposite direction. They were soon lost behind the crowd and arrangements of shops.

"Well, come on, Dracura," Mika said, glaring at Karasu.

"That's Dracu_la_, Mika," Kurama said as he turned to follow the glowering Hiei into an obvious book shop.

"WHATEVER!" Mika cried. She crossed her arms and said, "I say we ditch." Silence greeted her. She looked up and saw Karasu already several paces ahead of her. "HEY!"

"Hurry up, brat," was all the reply she got.

Growling, Mika gathered her money pouch and ran after him.

**&&&&&& Ayumi and Kuronue &&&&&&**

Pushing their way through the thicker parts of the crowd, Ayumi and Kuronue moved at a quick pace. Actually, it was more of Ayumi pulling Kuronue quickly. The bat demon was still whining continuously about his sudden ear loss.

"...I look so UGLY!" he wailed as they sidestepped a cauldron cart.

Ayumi rolled her eyes. "You look human."

"WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?"

Stopping, Ayumi glared at him. "Watch it, bat boy," she threatened.

Kuronue whimpered and tugged at his earlobes. Throwing her arms up in disgust, Ayumi stormed ahead. To the right, she saw a sign that said _"Madame Malkins Robes." _She mentally sighed with relief. At least it would not be that difficult to find their necessary items. She turned her head.

"Hurry up, Kurone. It's right—," she stopped. Starring blankly, Ayumi stood frozen as the sight in front of her hit with realization. An empty space greeted her. Kuronue wasn't there!

"WHY MUST LIFE ALWAYS BE MY PERSONAL HELL?!" Ayumi screamed, shaking her fists upward towards the sky. She didn't even care that several shop goers viewed her with mild wariness. Kicking angrily at the air, she cursed several times, mostly profanity directed towards demons and baby kings. Finally, after inhaling deeply, she was able to calm down.

_Alright, there's a lost bat demon in the crowd who has no respect for social or private boundaries_, Ayumi thought. She rubbed her forehead wearily. _It could be worse. Gotta remember this could be worse._

"Screw him, I'm getting my bathrobe," she muttered. It was incredibly lucky that both she and Mika were of the same clothing size, so she'd just be able to get two of everything. She turned and pulled the shop door open. The stale scents of fabric and linen greeted her. The shop itself was relatively tiny. Ayumi wondered if she would grow claustrophobic during her stay inside the building. Then she focused on the important issues ahead of her...including the group of people standing right in front of her.

"...really? Planning on getting some of your Death Eater friends to get us, are you?"

Ayumi hesitated behind a large red robe that was on display and observed the scene. It seemed there was a trio of two boys and one girl facing off a cold looking mother and her teenage son...and then there was the poor shop keeper in between both sides, trying to keep the peace. The leader of the three teenagers was a black haired youth who was defiantly talking to the mother and her son. The defining superior look on the blond haired son immediately made Ayumi root for the trio's side.

"...reunited with Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius," the cold mother finished, restraining her son. Her words had an instant effect and the black haired boy raised his arm, which was holding a similar stick to what Moody had before. The girl next to the black haired boy was pleading with her friend to stop.

Tension was building and Ayumi wanted her bathrobe. With an indifferent air, she walked towards the two groups. She looked past their surprised faces and spoke to the shopkeeper. "Can I buy robes here?" she asked.

The shopkeeper leap up, obviously glad to have the situation distracted. "Ah, yes! I just need to finish with Mr. Malfoy and I'll set you up," the anxious woman said.

Mr. Malfoy, it seemed, couldn't have cared less. He yanked the half-fitted robe over his head and dropped it onto the ground carelessly. "I don't believe I want these anymore, Mother," he announced coldly. His mother seemed to agree.

"We don't need to shop in the same store as scum do," she added, casting a glance over the enraged trio. Ayumi felt her neck bristle.

"If you're talking about me too, lady," Ayumi began, crossing her arms. "I don't appreciate it, 'cause if you don't like the customers, don't even bother coming in the door."

Mrs. Malfoy shot her a look of contempt, as if disgusted. The younger Malfoy sneered at Ayumi. "No one asked your opinion, Squinty," he snapped.

The urge to cast his horrible bleached hair into flames almost consumed Ayumi. Fighting that urge, she simply glared back. "I didn't respond to any request of my opinion. I just stated it," she replied, coolly. "Now, please get on your way, you're making me late."

Malfoy became enraged, but his mother's iron grasp on his shoulder kept him silent. The two left the shop, leaving a bitter aftertaste in the store's air. Ayumi sighed once the door slammed shut and turned to the shopkeeper. "Gimmie what's on this list," she began, handing the calmer woman her school list. "Only double of each, 'cause I'm shopping for my friend as well."

The red head of the trio stared at her, grinning. "Nice job!" he said, as the shopkeeper went around the back to retrieve materials.

Ayumi blinked as she sat up on the stool. "Eh?" she asked.

"You stood up to Malfoy. Nice."

The girl of the group seemed a little paler after the run-in with the rude mother and son, but smiled as warmly as she could towards Ayumi. "I'm Hermione Granger and he's Ron Weasley," she said. Ayumi then noticed the black eye. Strange...

"I'm Ta—I mean, Ayumi Takei," Ayumi said, bowing her head. She laughed at their surprised faces. "Sorry. We have different ways of greetings in Japan."

"You're from Japan?" asked the black haired boy, surprised.

"Uh huh. Didn't my _squinty _eyes give it away?" asked Ayumi, rolling her eyes. "I would've punched the kid, but I'd rather not cause some kind of international war."

The black haired boy shook his head, frowning deeply. "Malfoy's a git. We're not all like him," he said.

"That's good to hear. Say, what's your name again?"

"Oh. Harry Potter."

Ayumi let her jaw drop, ignoring the shopkeeper who was holding up her lax arm for measuring. Of all the luck she had, she just HAD to find the "target" first. Ayumi sighed, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. Today was just not her day.

"Um, are you okay?" asked Ron.

"I'm fine. Just..." Ayumi laughed weakly, trying to brush off her initial reaction. "I know about Hari...like, the whole savior thingy. It's not really big in Japan, but we do hear some things." Like reports from creepy baby kings from the Underworld...

Harry paused. "Ah," he said, suddenly indifferent. Ayumi felt bad, as she saw his once vibrant green eyes seem to darken.

"But," she quickly added. "I would never had noticed unless you said your name. Ha, I'm not real observant."

Her laughter seemed to do the trick and Harry seemed a little more relaxed. As Ayumi allowed the woman to measure her back, she noticed Hermione staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Sorry!" cried Hermione, turning red. She laughed nervously. "I'm just surprised to see a foreigner here of all places. Are you sightseeing?"

Ayumi shook her head. "Nope. My friend and I are here to study at Hogwarts," she replied.

"You're transferring in?" exclaimed Hermione, her eyes wide. "It's so irregular!"

Ayumi laughed weakly. "Tell me about it. Before I got the letter, I had no idea magic schools existed."

Ron gave her a strange look. "Then why are you here if you never heard of magic?" he asked, suspicious.

_SHIT!_ Ayumi laughed quickly, looking sheepish. "Ah, of course I've heard of magic! I am a witch after all. I was just, well, home schooled by Master Genkai instead. I just didn't know there were such large organized systems for teaching magic."

"Oh," Harry said, apparently accepting her excuse. "Is that Master Genkai your teacher?"

"Yes," Ayumi said, vaguely sure she wasn't lying. Genkai had once offered to teach her as well as Mika, but Ayumi only had one class in total. That was enough to make her realize it was relatively safer (and less painful) just to train by herself. "My friend who is with me, Mika, she is Genkai's student, too. She's way better than I am, though."

Hermione looked excited. "What type of magic did you learn? Is Eastern magic different than Western magic?" she asked.

Ayumi made a face. "Oh, shit, is there a difference?" she asked, wary.

"Well, I would imagine so."

"Uhhh...well, I guess that means me and Mika are screwed."

Ron scratched his head. "Well," he began. "What magic did you do in China?"

"Ron! She's from Japan!"

"Ah, sorry!"

Ayumi laughed. "S'okay." She paused. "I suppose you could call my magic...ah, elemental?" she said, trying out the strange word. "Hmm, that's not right. This translator ring sucks at getting it right sometimes."

"What can you do, specifically?" asked Hermione.

"I can make things catch fire spontaneously."

Ron and Harry's faces lit up. "Wicked!"

Hermione scowled at them. She then turned to Ayumi. "Well," she began, her voice sympathetic. "Don't worry too much. You'll probably be given a crash course on Western magic once you're at school. If you really hit a slump, just ask me or Harry."

Ron gave her an indignant look. "Hey! What about me?" he cried.

Staring pointedly at him, Hermione said in a sarcastic tone, "Windgardium Levi_o_sa?" Ron turned bright red and simply fumed quietly.

"There," announced the seamstress. She took the robe off of Ayumi's shoulders and said, "Now, you wanted two of these, correct?"

"Yes," Ayumi replied. "My friend is the same size as I am. We wanted to save time and just get two of the same."

"Where is your friend?" asked Harry.

"Oh, probably causing WWIII while destroying half of the street."

The three stared at her, wary. Ayumi sighed. "I usually have volatile friends," she finally said, slumping her shoulders. "Actually, not volatile. More like spontaneously destructive psychos with a vicious case of ADD."

"Ah." All three teenagers did not look that sure of the safety of the area anymore.

Ayumi sighed again. Then, she turned to Harry, smirking slightly. _Time to become the actress I've always wanted to be_, she mentioned to herself. "So!" she exclaimed, sliding off the stool. "While she makes a double of my order, care to tell me about yourselves?"

**&&&&&& Kuronue &&&&&&**

"Excuse me!" Kuronue said, cheerfully. He smiled at the man he almost ran into and then kept walking forward. Inwardly, he was quite proud of himself. Mika and Kurama had demanded he learn something they called human mannerisms, as the two of them had gotten quite irritated with the bat demon the last time they all went out in public together. Okay, so he had broken a few statues in the park and then scared some little kids pretty badly, but it wasn't THAT awful. Then again, he was often rewarded for behaving nicely and sometimes got treats like TV Time. So, he did his best to be mannerly and polite even as he walked the streets of wizards and their magical shops.

Kuronue knew, as he gazed up at the sights around him, that behaving nicely for a reward was not the only benefit he would receive for acting as the humans did. Although he did not care for saving any world or keeping international peace, he did like keeping tabs on Mika, especially when on an adventure like this. Also, it was fun. Grinning, Kuronue watched the various shops as he walked along the path. There were so many opportunities to steal a few pretty items or make off with that wizarding gold used as currency. If Mika ever ran out of money, Kuronue knew he and Kurama would easily be able to get more, considering these wizards seemed to have no sense of hiding their valuables.

While pausing to admire some shiny wind charms outside a small booth, Kuronue let his mind wander. He wanted more excitement than just meandering, but he knew he had to keep the peace. Otherwise, he'd get serious flak for it.

_Oh, how much we have changed, eh, Youko?_ Kuronue thought, smiling wryly as he toyed with a flashing pinwheel. To think he, the great thief lord Kuronue, was at the beck and call of a sixteen year old HALF-LING. He should have been back in the Makai, he and Youko both still inflicting terror on the wealthy lords and taking up their spoils. Instead, he was living off of a little girl's energy and watching daily cartoons on TV while munching on flaky things called cereal. Kuronue could not help but chuckle softly. _However, Fate is what makes us. I suppose this has always been meant to be, with or without that one anomaly...the one-in-a-million-chance that so happened to be the human I fear we've all become unhealthily attached to..._

"...good sir and ma'am, have you tried a glimpse at our humble house of wonderous jokes and playful fun?"

Kuronue looked up, surprised. He spotted the source of the echoing voices and blinked. Opposite of him and one shop down was a dinky looking shop that was absolutely swamped with visitors. Two flaming headed boys stood outside the shop, dressed the same, and with mirroring voices shouted out to the passing shoppers.

"Just found ten crates of Skiving Snackboxes in the back," cried one of the boys. Both looked exactly the same with few differences in their voices.

"Half prices on all marked items, just for today!" said the other.

Kuronue would have wiggled his ears to listen closer, but realized his usually long ears were missing. Sighing pitifully, the bat demon walked over in the human fashion to hear the two shopkeepers better. Both humans continued to call out to the growing crowd and more and more young wizards swamped the entrance. Suddenly, Kuronue was intrigued.

"Hi!" Kuronue said cheerfully, stepping up to the two boys.

The red headed boys never missed a beat. "Hello, good sir!" cried one. He held out his hand. "Welcome to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!"

Kuronue stared at his hand and tilted his head in mild curiosity. "There's nothing there," he pointed out.

Both boys hesitated before bursting into hysterical laughter. The other brother grinned. "Oi, that's priceless!" he said, laughing. He held out his hand as well. "Don't you know how to shake a hand?"

"But, why?" There was no real point in it.

"Are you a foreigner?"

"Yup."

The first boy 'tsked.' "Of course you don't know, then. Here," he said. He reached out and grabbed Kuronue's hand (Kuronue briefly had an urge to hit the boy for touching him, but he was also curious to see where this was going). "And shake," the boy finished. He shook Kuronue's hand up and down. "It's how we say hello."

Kuronue got it. "Oh! It's like bowing!" He laughed and shook back. "Hello! I'm Kuronue."

The boy raised his eyebrows in amusement. "You _must_ be oriental then. The name's Fred."

"And I'm George," the other boy added.

"And together we run Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" both finished with matching grins.

Kuronue smiled back. These two were interesting. "What do you sell here?"

George scoffed. "What do we sell here?" he echoed. "Why, we're the only shop in Diagon Ally with the most superb pranking and joke supplies wizardkind offers!"

"Pranking?"

"You know, fool a pal with a Shield Hat, or Nosebleed Nougat which can get you out of a sticky situation like work or class. We've just started and look at the crowds!" Fred exclaimed, sweeping his arms towards the overflowing shop. "We're the hottest thing in the city, thanks to these," he added, tapping his skull. He grinned wider. "Imaginative creativity will take you places. Remember that, kid."

Kuronue smirked. Oh, he knew about thinking wildly. "I know what you mean."

George looked the demon over, interested. "Say, what brings you here, anyway?" he asked.

"Going shopping for my friend. She's going to Hog...war...tuhs." Stupid names...

"Ah! Hogwarts!" Fred sighed.

"Best place there is," George replied.

"To learn."

"To pull pranks."

"To pick up all the tricks you'll ever need."

Kuronue grinned. "Cool!" Maybe going to "school" would be fun after all.

Fred nodded. "So, you like pranks?" he asked.

"You bet! I remember one time me and my friends put Makai stink bugs in Yusuke's bed. Though," he said. "I think the most fun we have is when we'd blow up things like Furbies outside of Master Genkai's windows at night. It wasn't that bright of an idea, considering she'd come after us with machettes, but we had a real blast doing it!"

Both brothers stared at Kuronue, their eyes displaying their shock. Then, both slowly relaxed, grins mounting their faces. "Oh," began George, grinning wickedly as both he and his brother slung their arms around Kuronue's shoulders. "I do believe—"

"—this is the beginning of a _beautiful _friendship," ended Fred.

Kuronue smiled and clapped his hands. "Whee! New friends!"

"Gotta love these foreigners," Fred said. He and George led Kuronue back to the shop. "Now, we need an expert's opinion: would exploding candy on sticks or toilet paper that disintegrates when touched by human hands be more amusing?"

Tilting his head, Kuronue grinned again. "Definitely the candy!"

Somewhere in the Underworld, Koenma was crying.

**&&&&&& Mika and Karasu &&&&&&**

"NO!"

"BUT I WANT IT!"

"I DON'T CARE! I SAID NO!"

The pet shop keeper watched in mild amusement as Mika and Karasu tugged viciously on a small metal crate containing a tiny owl, which hooted miserably in the ruckus. With a growl of rage, Mika tugged back so hard, she slipped backwards—the crate staying in Karasu's grip. Karasu chucked the cage back onto the table behind him.

"WHY DID I EVEN AGREE TO COME IN HERE?" he shouted. Indeed, they had already finished their part of the shopping list. They should have been headed towards the entrance of Diagon Alley to meet the others, but Mika had seen the pet shop earlier and had demanded to step inside. "The last thing we need is a pet to take care of when you're about to go into a magical school!"

"But it says I'm allowed to have a pet! It can be an owl, a cat or a toad!" Mika insisted. She got up and glared. "I want an owl! They're so cute!"

"Mind your father, dear," the shop keeper said, hoping to calm the two down.

Both demons stopped and stared at her in utter horror. They looked back at each other and then screamed in unison.

"EWWWW!" Mika cried, beating at her ears. "I DID NOT JUST HEAR THAT ACCUSATION! I JUST DIDN'T!"

"The day I spawn a disgrace like her is the day Enma gets up off his ass and fixes all wrongs of the universe!" Karasu howled.

"I beg your pardon, then," the shocked woman replied, slightly disturbed.

Mika, after banging her head against the wall to rid herself of the previous thought, sighed. "But I really want a pet. I miss Sachi already," she said, referring to her dog at home in Japan. She looked down at her feet and looked as pitiful as she could.

Karasu's eye twitched. "Aren't a crow, bat, midget and fox good enough?" he asked, sarcastic.

"You won't let me pet you."

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I WON'T!"

"Please, can I get something? Pleaseeeee?" Mika begged. Her eyes began to water as she gazed up at her demon companion. Her bottom lip wavered.

Needless to say, Karasu was creeped out. His eyes narrowed, but he did not say no. Instead, he growled and pushed past her. "Fine, but I decide what it is," he said. "Wait outside until I bring it out."

"YIPPIEEE!" Mika cried, leaping up like an ecstatic child. She ran over to the door of the store. "You rock, Karasu!"

-FIVE MINUTES LATER-

"You bastard."

"Hey, I told you I would have final say," Karasu replied, not even bothering to look at the enraged half-ling at his side. They were seated on a bench outside an ice cream parlor, that was apparently closed. They had both Mika and Ayumi's cauldrons resting near their feet, as well as several bags of potions and miscellaneous ingredients that still lingered on the list of supplies.

Mika held up the tiny cage in her hands and stared pitifully at its contents. "But...it's ugly," she finally said, wrinkling her nose.

"What a coincidence. You two will get along great, now, won't you?"

Karasu narrowly dodged Mika's foot that swung out at him. His eyes hinted that he was grinning. "A toad is the perfect pet for you, Murasaki."

Indeed, the tiny green creature that stared at its new master pitifully was a toad. It wasn't the ugliest toad ever to grace the earth, Mika had to admit, but in the end, it still was a toad. Mika was always one to agree that what on the outside didn't matter nearly as much as what was on the inside, but there was something else that bothered her about the tiny amphibian in her care.

"Ayumi will NEVER let me live this down," she whined, starting to hop on and off one foot.

Karasu chuckled evilly. "Well, this'll cheer you up: **I** certainly won't let you live this down either."

"OF ALL THE THINGS, WHY A TOAD?!" Mika screamed, launching a fresh attack at her demon mentor. "WHY DID I EVEN LET YOU PICK FOR ME?"

"Do you have a naturally bad memory, or are you just retarded?" Karasu asked, dodging.

"MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I HAD FOUR GROWN MEN PLAYING TARGET PRACTICE INSIDE MY CEREBRAL MEMBRANE!!"

Several people walking past stopped and stared at the two demons, who were having their own private war on the side of the path. Mika managed to drop kick Karasu and then, feeling it was justified, jumped up and unmercifully stomped onto his stomach. Karasu, the wind knocked out of him, gasped and managed to swing his leg into Mika, who tumbled to the side into a display of pottery. Several wizards shouted in surprise and the usual sound of adults chiding rowdy children filtered past Mika's ears

"...should learn self-control!" she heard an older witch exclaim.

"First the father of this bitch, and then a delinquent," Karasu began, livid. He sat up and shook his fists towards the alarmed crowd. "DO I LOOK LIKE A GOD DAMN HUMAN TO YOU?"

"More like a sub-species," Mika replied dryly, her heart beating rather fast. "Stop shouting things like that, seriously."

Karasu glowered at her, but just stood up. He picked up two of their bags and stormed off towards the end of the row. Mika stared at him, shocked at his obedience and surprising speed. Hopping to her feet, Mika grabbed the remaining bag and her toad's cage. She started to hurry off after the quick crow demon, but hesitated. Staring down remorsefully at the cage, Mika sighed.

"I got a good second chance at getting affection," Mika said softly to her new pet. "So, I guess I should give the same to you."

The toad stared back, its large eyes shining glossy black back towards her. It made a throaty sound. Mika sighed again. "Time to chase the fleeing black mass of death," she murmured. "Come on, Hiki."

Thus, she and Hiki (a reluctant participant, but he came along nevertheless) rushed along the path and followed after Karasu.

**&&&&&& Ayumi &&&&&&**

Inhaling deeply, Ayumi let the heavy door slid shut soundly behind her. She smiled contentedly, proud of her achievements. Not only had she gotten what she was assigned to get, she had also found out just who their supposed target looked like, without really even trying to! She was able to get to know the boy, even a little bit, and understand a little more about the wizarding world, even if it did include crazed magic warlords.

Suddenly, her smile dropped as she remembered that tiny inkling in the back of her mind.

"Where did he go?" she moaned, clinging to her shopping bags pitifully. She knew Mika wouldn't be that angry, considering Mika herself had probably lost Karasu somewhere, but Ayumi was very nervous. What if the Bat spilt the wrong information? No, she decided, looking around. He wasn't that stupid and he just acted silly to get attention. But what if he exposed his demonic heritage by accident or took the translator ring off?

_WHAT IF HE STOLE SOMETHING?!_ she thought, her eyes wide. Ayumi had seen the huge bank in the center of the alley and knew full well that the gigantic site had not gone unnoticed by the two demon thieves. Kurama might have had some self-control, but Kuronue had very little experience while amongst humans, especially magical ones. They were all in unexplored and possibly dangerous territory.

"Well, he won't be found if I just stand here," Ayumi muttered. She turned and began down the one end of the street. Maybe the demon had wandered back to one of the others. That would be a little bit more acceptable than him attacking a wizard or stealing from a magical bank.

The streets were a little more crowded towards the end of the row. Namely, there was a large crowd that seemed to be massing around one single shop. Ayumi stopped and read one of the brilliantly colored posters outside of the shop, thankful for the translator ring.

"...U-No-Poo?" she repeated, suddenly wary of the translator ring's functionality. Then again, foreigners were weird.

Above the noise of the crowd, Ayumi heard a voice. She stiffened and listened closer to the voice before deciding it was as familiar as she was thinking it was.

"...wouldn't believe how fast this stuff is selling. I mean, the Ministry has made huge orders. Who would have thought we'd be making money!"

"Hahaha! That sounds like a good thing. Is it?"

Ayumi grit her teeth and cracked her knuckles. She marched to the other side of the alley and found the specific demon she had been looking for. Kuronue was standing around, apparently getting to know two orange haired twins, and appeared totally at ease. She would have to change that little fact.

"OI!" Ayumi yelled, slamming her fist into Kuronue's unprotected back. The bat demon yelped and spun around. His face paled.

"Ayumi...!"

The said psychic glared up at him, enraged. "I just spent the last hour getting insulted by bratty punks, shopping for two people and then looking for you. And here you are, strutting around doing absolutely nothing of importance!!"

Kuronue waved his arms, trying to divert her anger. "I did do something important! I made some friends!" He motioned towards the mildly interested twins. "Here's Fred and George. They own this shop place and we got to talking about funny things."

Ayumi did not apparently care for his excuse. "We have to go get the trunks and then meet with the others! You stupid brat!" Ayumi shouted, grabbing the demon by his humanized ear. "COM'ERE!"

"AH, PAIN!" Kuronue cried.

"YOU'LL GET WORSE, BUDDY, SO SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND WALK!"

Fred and George looked at the departing duo and then back at each other.

"And here I thought Muggles were the loony ones," George whistled.

"How about that?" Fred asked, both raising their eyebrows in synch. Shrugging, the two turned and re-entered their busy shop.

**

* * *

**

LOL Oh, did I have fun with THIS chapter. Hehehe. Hiki shall eventually win Mika's heart, but cause them all untold aggravation. Lol. Thinking of Neville, anyone? Oh, and Treavor and Hiki will meet...and that's all I'm going to say for now. LMAO. XD The next chapter is a continuation of this one, with Kurama and Hiei meeting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, some interesting Wand results and then Mika catches up on some reading...

**ANs  
**-Harry/Malfoy/Narcissca dialogue shamelessly edited from book scene. xD There will be few scenes that I will relate to the real book 6, but most of them will be original, so don't worry.  
-Hiki means "toad." Mika was never quite original, now was she? lol  
-"Hari Potaru" is what Mika and Ayumi will undoubtedly translate Harry's name as. They'll get it eventually, but it's quite funny for now. Ronu, Hirimoni...lmao.  
-Koenma, my darling, just what were you thinking, sending these loons? Ahh, irony.  
-lmao. I love Kuronue. He's like some cute cuddly animal in the zoo that likes being fed and will beat the hell out of pedestrians for some peanuts. Lolz.  
-moment of seriousness with Kuronue...well, I should mention now that all of the characters will be revealing some inner emotions throughout this story. Kuronue has another reason for staying with Mika than most think, Mika has a serious issue with her future to work out, Karasu suddenly gains a conscious, Ayumi continues to berate her weak abilities, Hiei (of course) is being emo about everything and Kurama also has some issues with his family and his future. Yes. I seem to love mixing humor in with sickening drama, don't I? Lol. Oh, and Mika makes a HUGE revelation about her powers (shadow) that I totally forgot to mention before. XD There _is _a reason why Mika controls shadows and it's definitely not what you guys are going to think...  
-again, Furbies. They'll come back again. My words on the matter: poor Harry. xD

...OMGZ lol. I still can't believe I actually got a snake. Haha, when he gets bigger I'm going to sick him on my tiny friend Justin and watch Justin scream in horrified agony. xD To put this in further perspective, Justin is the one I based Ralph on. XD Oh, I am terrible... BTW, please keep Justin in your hearts. He just broke his wrist when he fell of a swing-set the other day. It was not pretty, but he'll be fine. Oh, the dangers of living in suburbia, eh? xD

REVIEW:D


	10. Of Foxes, Wands and Books

Just finished the seventh HP book…all I can say is: Albus Dumbledore, you little faggot. And Voldemort? Apparently, you're a moron.

Apologies for the wait. Double digit chapters at last! Good God, this is gonna be one hellova long story. o.O Seriously, probably three times as long as IMM was. I suppose that's good, in a way. And thanks so much for the reviews.

PLEASE GO READ AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ON MY LJ! It concerns this story.

This chapter doesn't have that much action, but lotsa information is given, especially at the end. Just what kind of wand will the half-ling Mika get? Then, some interesting facts about the late Karyuudo line appear. (Yes, they're back! Not really, actually…)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _YYH _or _Harry Potter_. I do own _Inside My Mind_ and its wonderful array of crazy plots and minor characters.

* * *

"What about this one? Do you think Mika would appreciate reading it?"

"Considering I doubt she even can read, I really can't say."

Kurama turned his head slightly and smiled at his small demon companion. "Your sarcasm is completely unneeded, Hiei. And you know Mika can read."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Hurry up."

"Is this place bothering you?"

"Yes."

Indeed, the tiny fire apparition did look significantly out of place in between the shelves of a tiny bookstore located in the heart of the wizard shopping center. Kurama, although he certainly was still as cunning and powerful as he had been as a full blooded demon, had acquired a strong reading habit growing up as a human and wouldn't pass up the opportunity to pick up a few good books amongst wizards. Unfortunately for Hiei, he was stuck tagging along.

"Well, give me a few more minutes and I think I'll be done," Kurama said, looking over the list Mika had received in the mail. "We're lucky that Ayumi's list is identical. It makes shopping so much easier."

Glaring, Hiei obviously did not care about the difficulty in shopping. He turned and looked around at the crowd. Hiei scowled darkly and walked up and down the shelves in hope of somehow amusing himself.

He had to admit, there weren't many humans there. There were several hassled looking women he interpreted as mothers shopping for school books and a few nervous men. There were hardly children. It made sense; no parents would send their children out shopping while there was the threat of that dark lord hanging overhead. That's why it was such a surprise, even to him, that a hand tapped rather rudely on his shoulder.

Half-expecting it to be the blasted pyrokinetic or even Kurama, Hiei turned around slowly with one of his best death glares. He blinked in surprise, however, when he realized it was neither. It wasn't any of his companions.

"Excuse me," said the middle-aged man cheerfully who was standing behind him. "I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but may I ask you a question?"

It was either the man's blatant cheerfulness or his shocking head of red hair that made Hiei stare rather dumbly at him. He had heard some humans were overly friendly, but this was a little…too odd.

"Sir?" the man asked, looking abruptly concerned. "Did…did you hear me?"

"Who the hell are you?" Hiei demanded.

Kurama, having heard the shorter demon's foul mouth seemingly from across the shop, turned and called over to him. "Hiei, stop harassing people!"

Hiei, sputtering, shot the fox demon a look of loathing. The redheaded wizard did not seem flustered by Hiei's rudeness.

"Oh dear, where are my manners? My name is Arthur Weasley," he said, offering out his hand with such enthusiasm, Hiei took an instinctive step backwards. Not deterred, Arthur Weasley simply smiled. "I didn't know how to quite ask this, but I can't help my curiosity. Are you, by any chance," he stopped and looked around quickly before continuing. "A _Muggle_?"

Hiei stared blankly at the human, secretly wishing that the fox was not there; otherwise, the human would not have a head to talk with. His patience grating dangerously, Hiei tried his best to remember what Kurama once named "manners."

"I don't know what that is," he said.

Arthur Weasley hesitated. "Don't know…?" he repeated, surprised. "Oh."

"ARTHUR!"

The shrill voice made Hiei's eye twitch painfully. A woman carrying an armload of packages stepped up to them and huffed angrily. "What on Earth do you think you're doing? Who's this boy?" she demanded.

"Oh, Molly! This boy, I think he's a Muggle."

_Again with the name!_ Hiei's mind hissed. Oh, how he wanted to use his sword, which itched anxiously at his hip under his coat.

Be it luck or misfortune, Hiei felt a familiar hand latch onto his shoulder. He did not need to look up to tell it was Kurama.

"May we help you?" the human-savvy demon asked, smiling kindly. How the fox managed to appear so calm all the time was a mystery to Hiei.

Arthur's face lit up once more. "Are you two together then? My name is Arthur Wealsey, I work for the Ministry," he said, as he and Kurama shook hands. "You both seem to be about my son Ron's age, but I didn't recognize you. You don't happen to be Muggles, do you?"

"Why, yes, we are," Kurama said, grinning back. Hiei's eye twitched again.

/What, pray tell, is a Muggle?/

#I have no idea.#

/Fox.../

"Are you here with friends, then?"

Kurama nodded. "Our little sister was accepted to Hogwarts along with her best friend," he explained. "We're just helping them collect their supplies."

/Little sister?! You have to be joking!/

#Would you rather me have said our wife?#

The death glare Hiei sent Kurama was missed by the Weasley couple, who beamed at Kurama. Molly held out her hand, carefully around the packages in her arms.

"Molly Weasley, dear," she said. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."

Kurama shook her hand. "Thank you. I'm Kurama Murasaki. This is Hiei," he added, looking down at the livid Hiei. "He's rather shy."

"So," Arthur began, looking at the two of them as though they were an interesting new species. "How do you like everything so far?"

"Ah, it's been…a new experience."

Molly frowned and nudged Arthur's side. He cleared his throat and smiled ruefully at the two Asian demons. "Forgive me for my forwardness, but I should warn you both," he said, his voice lower than before. "Things have been quite tense around here and surely will get worse quite soon. Not to frighten you, of course! Just a healthy warning: try to keep a low profile."

"A problem with Muggles, then?" Kurama asked. He sounded just as friendly as before, but Hiei could tell he was subtly alert.

"Oh, not a problem, really. The thing is, you've heard of…" Arthur winced. "You-Know-Who…right?"

"No," both demons answered truthfully. They had no idea what the man was talking about.

Molly looked uncomfortable. "Oh dear…" She adjusted the bags in her arms. "He's a bad man, dears, let's just say. He and his followers have the idea that wizards are somehow superior to Muggles." Her sudden scowled surprised Hiei slightly. "They wouldn't be above targeting children like you, not anymore these days."

Kurama nodded and smiled. "Thank you for the warning," he said politely. He glanced down at Hiei. "We'll keep on our toes until we meet up with Mika and Ayumi again."

"There's a dear," Molly said fondly. She smiled kindly again. "Are you alright from here, then?"

"Just need to make our purchases, ma'am. Thank you."

The wizard couple smiled cheerfully and said their good byes before heading out towards the door. Kurama waved back just as friendly, but as soon as they left, his expression dropped.

"Apparently the dark wizards attack Muggles, whom I take to be non-magic users," he said calmly, looking over the identical two stacks of books he was carrying.

Hiei snorted. "The baby did mention this," he replied as they approached the desk to pay for the books.

Kurama frowned slightly. "Remind me to instruct Mika on how to make proper wards," he murmured.

"Hn."

**& & & A Few Minutes Later, Outside & & &**

Kurama had successfully managed to get the angry short demon to carry half of their load by the time they left the shop. The only thing that seemed to inspire Hiei was the fact they were finished their portion of the list. They only needed to find the others and get the girls their wands, and that proved to be easier than expected.

"Oi! Kurama! Hiei!"

Kurama looked up, surprised. Mika and Karasu came out of the crowd and came closer towards them. Mika seemed to be half-excited and half-distressed.

"Kurama!" she wailed, stopping short before him. She held up a small cage in front of him. "Karasu is such a bastard! Look!"

"Is that a toad?" Hiei asked.

Karasu narrowed his eyes, as though challenging the smaller demon. "Yes. It is."

Arching an eyebrow, Kurama looked up at Karasu. "Did you buy her a _toad_?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"She wanted a pet, so instead of listening to her blasted whining, I gave in." The wicked look in Karasu's eyes did not fool the fox. Sighing, Kurama shook his head.

Mika pouted, but lowers the crate closer to herself. "There were plenty of nice owls and even cats! But NO! He has to buy me a freakin' toad!" she exclaimed, motioning violently with her hands. The poor toad inside the cage seemed to widen its eyes.

Hiei simply stared at her. "At least it resembles you," he remarked, unsympathetic.

"HEY!"

Karasu looked the other way. "Told you."

Knowing that a fight would ensue, Kurama smiled kindly at the distraught teenager. "I think it has character," he said.

Mika stopped. Staring at the cage and then at him, she seemed to calm down. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Oh," Mika said. She raised her eyebrows, mildly surprised. "I mean, I kinda like him now, but it's just...he's a _toad_."

"I'm sure the shock will wear off eventually," Kurama reassured her. He looked down at the bags she and Karasu had assembled. "All done your shopping, then?"

Mika nodded. "Yup!"

"Then, we should definitely find Ayumi and Kuronue. We need to get your wands."

As if Enma heard them himself, they heard a familiar wail above the bustle of the crowd. Turning, they saw two figures appear; the smaller female was physically pulling the taller male around by his ear. Mika broke into hysterical laughter and Kurama quietly groaned.

"…AND IF I EVER FIND OUT YOU PULL SOME KIND OF STUNT LIKE THIS AGAIN, FOR ANYONE, I WILL GO APE-SHIT ON YOUR ASS SO FAST, YOU'D THINK YOU WERE IN A TIME WARP, BITCH!!" they heard the familiar voice of Ayumi roar.

Karasu, his eyes alight with evil glee, crossed his arms as the human and the bat demon stopped in front of them. "Having fun?" he drawled.

"MIKA-CHAAAAN!" wailed Kuronue, wrenching away from the livid Ayumi and flinging himself into the laughing Mika's arms. "AYUMI HURT ME!"

"I wonder why?" Hiei asked dryly.

"SHE DID! AND IT HURT!"

"Oh, the terrible might of human fingers."

Mika, laughing still, patted Kuronue comfortingly on the head. "Aw, it's okay now, Kuro," she said. "I bet you deserved it, after all."

"You're damn right he did!" Ayumi swore, throwing a shopping bag over her shoulder. "He ditched me in the middle of the friggin' street!" She abruptly stopped and stared at Mika. Ayumi blinked at the cage in her hands. "Is that a toad?"

"AND WHAT IF IT IS?!" roared Mika, swinging the cage viciously and poor Hiki croaked meekly.

"…Nothing. I was just asking."

Breathing heavily, Mika glared at her best friend and then at the wary demons. "Any more comments about my frog?" she asked steely.

"It's a toad," corrected Kuronue.

The wizards nearby could not understand why the redheaded Muggle had to physically restrain a brown haired girl from lunging at a bizarrely purple headed boy as their equally strange group headed towards the line of shops.

**& & & Inside Ollivander's Wand Shop & & &**

The shop stank of paper and dust. Mika covered her nose the moment she walked into the store. The most prevailing smell, of course, was that of magic. It was overwhelming and made her head hurt. She looked to her side and saw the guys shift uncomfortably near the door.

"It's so tight in here," whined Kuronue.

"This will only take a few minutes, I hope," murmured Kurama. He nodded at Mika, who reluctantly turned and approached the desk with Ayumi.

"Hello?" she asked. No one appeared and she frowned. Then, she continued in a louder voice, "Is there anyone here?"

Ayumi reached over and tapped the bell twice. "Yo, anyone home?"

"Ah!"

Both girls shrieked and jumped back when a man came speeding out into the front while on top of a rolling ladder attached to the line of shelves. He stopped in front of the desk and cheerfully jumped down from his stoop.

"Good morning ladies and welcome! How many I be of service today?" he asked. He was an old man, but seemed surprisingly youthful.

Mika gulped and tried to be equally friendly. "Ah. Are you Mr. Oli-van-deru, then?" She smacked her palm over her face in embarrassment, but the old man did not seem insulted in the least.

"Indeed I am Ollivander," replied the man. He smiled knowingly at them. "And you two would be students looking for a wand, am I right?"

Ayumi nodded, surprised. "Well, yes. We are."

"And you gentlemen?" Ollivander asked, looking up at the defensive quartet hovering near the door.

Kurama smiled politely. "We're just supervising the girls today," he explained. "Our, uh, siblings."

"They're the witches," Kuronue added cheerfully.

Ollivander chuckled. "Yes. I suppose you're in a hurry, so let's get this over with, shall we?" He hurried from around the desk and appeared with a tape measure. "Whose to go first?"

"ME!" shouted Mika.

Ayumi blinked. "...Okay?"

Mika grinned at Ollivander and held out her right arm. "Just my arm, right?" she asked.

"This is your wand arm, correct?" he asked.

"Uh, I'm right-handed if that's it."

"Yes, yes..." Ollivander seemed to be totally absorbed in his work as he set to measure not only her arm, but her elbow and head. Suddenly he beamed. "Ah! Perfect!" He ran off behind the desk and back onto his ladder, pushing off back into the dusty shelves. Mika stared at him, disturbed.

"Why are wizards so spontaneous?" she asked Ayumi, wide eyed.

Ayumi shrugged. "Why are demons so stupid?"

All four demons (and a half) in the room bristled. "Hey!"

Ollivander appeared again with several boxes in hand. Grinning, he set it down on the table and opened it, revealing a long mahogany stick. Mika gasped.

"IT'S A STICK!"

Ayumi blinked. "Like that Moody guy, right?"

Ollivander 'tsk'ed. "Ah, but this is so much more than mere wood, my dears," he corrected. He held the stick up to Mika. "This is a wizard or witch's most valued object: a wand. This is a dragon core, mahogany."

"So it's what makes magic, right?" Mika asked, taking the wand carefully.

Smiling, Ollivander shook his head. "The wizard makes the magic. The wand makes it real."

Unsure, Mika held up the wand. It still looked like a stick, but she felt as though she should give it a shot. "Do I just wave it around?" she asked. Ollivander nodded and Mika sighed. "Okay." She waved it once.

The picture above the desk literally exploded. Both Asian girls shrieked and jumped back. Ollivander snatched the wand from Mika's hand and tucked it back into its box.

"Not the one then!"

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" Mika exclaimed, shaking. "I'll pay you back—!"

"Phoenix feather core, fourteen inches, cherry," announced Ollivander. He held out another wand as if nothing had happened.

Mika gaped at him, speechless. Hiei arched an eyebrow.

"Creepy foreigners."

"Hiei!" hissed Ayumi.

Taking the wand with much more wariness, Mika fingered the wooden item gently. She turned around towards the more empty side of the room and waved it hesitantly. A long crack appeared in the window. Mika dropped the wand in horror. Ollivander 'tsk'ed again and picked the wand up.

"Don't worry, there are plenty more to test," he said, not disheartened.

Ayumi took off her translator ring and said a string of Japanese that Mika did not think was too friendly. Kurama grimaced.

Ollivander continued to bring out more and more skinny boxes. All of the other wands failed miserably in Mika's hand. After twenty minutes, Mika had gotten over the idea of exploding the wallpaper off the walls and weakly flicked each new wand with increasing despair.

:So, you fail at life. That's not new.:

'_SHUT. UP.'_

"This is a nice one," Ollivander commented as he pulled out another box. "Willow, phoenix feather—flexible yet sturdy. Give it a go, girl."

He handed it to Mika, who accepted the wooden instrument without even glancing up at it. She sighed heavily and waved it in the air. She had been expecting another explosion. Instead, a most curious feeling of warmth crept up her arm. She stared down at her hand, eyes wide in surprise.

_It feels different than the magic back home_, she noted. This kind wasn't as old though; it was lighter and not as thick as the ancient spells Mika was used to feeling.

"I believe that is it," Ollivander said, grinning happily at the sight.

"Cool," Mika replied, still shaken. She smiled back. "I got a wand!"

"Joy," Hiei said dully.

"My turn!" Ayumi shouted, leaping up beside Mika. She held out her right arm excitedly. "Measure me up!"

By either the luck of the gods or just plain luck, Ayumi's process was not as tedious or time consuming as Mika's had been. It had only taken two wands and only one broken windowpane.

"Oak, dragon heartstring, fourteen inches," repeated Ollivander as Ayumi gazed upon her new wand with a look of awe. "A powerful combination meant for a strong person."

"It feels so…tingly," she said, turning to her friends.

Hiei snorted. "All the magic does here."

"They're very young," added Kuronue with a smile.

Ollivander carefully placed both wands back in their velvet-lined cases before wrapped each one in paper, ready for purchase. Mika and Ayumi both handed over the proper amount of Wizard gold and eagerly took their designated packages.

"Thank you so much!" Mika said, bowing deeply out of habit.

Ollivander only smiled.

"Do you feel like a witch now?" Kurama jested as they left the shop.

"Not yet." Mika grinned up at her friend. "But I think I'm getting there."

**& & & THAT NIGHT & & & **

It was well into the evening when Mika and Ayumi dragged themselves up to their hotel room. Finding the blasted building had proved even more difficult than it had been to find the Leaky Cauldron. Mika made a note to tell Koenma to put them at least somewhat close by their intended target location the next time he forced her into a mission.

:Forced? You practically jumped into this!: Karasu hissed. He and the others were put out of shape that they had to go back into Mika's mind when they left the wizard shopping alley.

Mika groaned. _'Just shut up, would you? I'm too tired for this!'_

Actually, she wasn't tired. She felt as though the day had just started. Ms. Ryoko had warned her about this. The time differences would hit her and Ayumi like a stack of bricks…and it would not be pretty.

"Ugh, why don't Westerners eat normal food?" Ayumi asked as they entered their room and dumped their packages on the floor. They had stopped at a normal restaurant on the way back, not wanting to test the wizards' food. She gripped her stomach. "I feel sick."

"Well, get used to it," Mika replied, falling backwards onto her bed. She sighed heavily. "This place is our home for the next year, so we're going to have to put up with the food."

"No, I was thinking about calling for delivery from Akita every night," Ayumi snapped, sarcastic. She groaned loudly and fell face first onto the quilted mattress.

Kurama probed Mika's mind gently. #Are you up to having us out of your mind?#

'_Hell, why not?'_ Mika replied. _'I'll be up until five o'clock in the morning anyway._'

She closed her eyes and on either side of the bed, the four demons flickered into physical form. Kuronue stretched and Karasu eyed the flowered wallpaper uneasily.

"What kind of horrid place is this?" he demanded.

"The land of tea and crumpets," Ayumi replied dully. She glared at the four demons. "I hope you don't plan on sleeping on one of these beds, 'cause I ain't moving."

"Are you tired?" Mika asked incredulously as she placed Hiki's cage on her bedside table.

"No, but my feet hurt."

Kurama sat down on the edge of Mika's bed and frowned. "So, now what?" he asked.

"We can discuss strategy," Kuronue suggested.

Mika gave him a mock-surprised look. "That sounded relatively intelligent. Congratulations!"

Scowling darkly, Kuronue crossed his arms against his chest. "I'm trying to be helpful!" he huffed.

"And you're failing horribly," Karasu replied.

While the two bickered, Kurama looked over at Ayumi. "Did you two see anything interesting?" he asked.

"I spent most of the tiem looking for bat brain here," Ayumi muttered. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Wait! Oh, man how did I forget?"

"Forget what?" Mika asked.

"I met Harry Potter! Hey, I said it right this time."

All five demons gaped at her. Mika shot up, already in panic mode.

"WHAT?" she shrieked. "The scar-headed kid?"

"Yeah!" Ayumi replied, grinning. "He's staying at the Leaky Cauldron until school starts."

"AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?"

Ayumi shrugged. "I guess I forgot."

"How could you possibly forget the target of this mission?" Hiei asked dryly.

Kuronue frowned in confusion. "I didn't see him."

"That's because you were playing with those two red-headed twins," Ayumi replied angrily.

"Did you find anything interesting about him?" Kurama asked.

"Uh, he's tall, really skinny…he's got really pretty eyes," the girl said, trying to think. "Oh! Don't mention the scar or his importance to him, okay?"

Mika arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

"He's really modest. He gets upset if you oggle over him."

"I can't blame him about that," Mika replied, looking sympathetic. "Imagine getting dumped on with the responsibility to save the world. That must suck."

Hiei sent her a blank stare. "Yusuke hasn't told you much, has he?"

"Hasn't told me what?"

Sighing, Kurama shook his head. "in any case, it's a good thing we know where the boy is now. I take it you are on good terms with him?"

Ayumi smirked. "I pwned this bitchy lady who was ragging on him, so yeah, I guess he likes me."

"That sounds lovely," Mika remarked sarcastically.

"And what did you do, huh?"

Mika gestured at Hiki. "I got a toad."

"Enough complaints about the damn toad!" Karasu hissed.

"Buddy, I haven't even started yet."

Rolling her eyes, Ayumi looked back at Kurama. "Did you and the midget find out anything important?"

Kurama smiled, ignoring the livid look Hiei sent the pyrokinetic. "Well, we learned that we Muggles aren't safe to wander the streets."

"What the hell is a Muggle?" Mika demanded, brow furrowed wariness.

"Non-wizards. Hiei, Kuronue, Karasu and I are apparently Muggles and you are our magical little sister who is traveling with your friend," Kurama replied. He smirked. "We're just here to help out."

Mika groaned. "Not more cover stories! I can barely follow the one I made up!"

Ayumi snorted. "Little sister?" she echoed, grinning.

"What else could I say?" Kurama asked, exasperated.

With a sound of disdain, Mika rolled off the bed onto her feet. "Well, at least we're all alive," she said.

"Unfortunately," drawled Karasu, sinking into the chair he was seated in.

Mika rolled her eyes and walked over to her suitcase. She yanked the bag up and onto the bed. "I might as well get some work done since I can't sleep," she mumbled.

"Work?" echoed Ayumi, surprised. "Honey, we're _already_ working. Like, saving the world working."

"I meant personal work," Mika replied. She grinned. "Here, lemme show you."

She opened the suitcase and after rummaging around, she pulled out a large square item. Ayumi gasped and the demons also looked surprised. Mika held up the item, impishly grinning.

It was a book. But not just any book. Even Ayumi could tell what it was: the Demon Bible that the Spirit World still didn't know they had stolen from the Vault last year.

Ayumi stared in horror at the book. "You brought that thing with you?! What are you thinking, Mika!" she cried.

Mika grinned at her friend's expression as she sat back down on the bed. "Relax," she said, holding the book up. "It's just a normal book as long as I don't activate any spells. All I'm using it for is so Kurama can teach me to reach the basics of demonic tongues. It's a rarity as it is finding the language written down, so I have to take what I can get."

"You're teaching her how to read the demon language?" Ayumi asked, turning to the said redheaded demon.

Kurama smiled thinly and patted Mika on the head. "Well, it's best she learns how to read it with understanding, lest we have any more accidents(1)," he said. He turned and gave the sheepish Mika a hard stare. "Isn't that right, Mika?"

"Uh...of course," Mika muttered and climbed onto the bed with the book in her arms. "Lessee…Ah, the chapter on how to properly fillet humans," she read, from one of the pages.

Turning green, Ayumi turned and lay face down on a pillow. "This is the reason normal people don't have demons for friends," she mumbled into the fabric cover.

Mika laughed and reached into the suitcase and pulled up another large, thick book. She blew off the dust that seemed to be stuck to the weathered surface. "Here," she said, holding it out over the gap between their beds. "Read this if you're bored."

Kuronue, who had been poking the motionless Ayumi in the side, looked up and his purple eyes widened. "Ah! Isn't that the hunter's journal?"

Ayumi looked up and so did Karasu. Indeed, it was the ancient Karyuudo book Mika's father had given them during their first adventure against Aki Karyuudo. Yellowed by age, it's pages threatened to fall from the frayed string binding. Inside those pages, however, lied years upon years of historical records about that demon hunting clan, the Karyuudos.

"You brought it with you?" Ayumi asked, surprised.

"Yep."

"Why?"

Hesitating, Mika looked at the book. She frowned. "I dunno. I just felt since I was taking the Demon Bible, I should take this as well."

"Thinking we're gonna run into some relatives over here?" Ayumi joked.

"GODS!" Mika cried, as if horrified by the idea. "They'd show up waving torches, guns and deadly vehicles at the castle! I have enough worries without them!"

Hiei snorted. "They're all dead, remember?" he said.

"Oh, yeah…" Ayumi said, remembering. She sat up and scratched her head. "Wow. Aki was the last one, wasn't he?"

Not responding, Mika placed the book in front of her on the quilt. She stared at the book, her eyes drifting from line to line, not registering anything she was reading. The Japanese was old and the ink was distorted at some parts, making it illegible. The page's layout was strange; it looked like the Western family tree chart her foreign aunt had once shown her. Several of the spaces where names would have gone, however, were missing. She then remembered she could not read it with her ring on. She thought about taking it off to read, but instead, she stared at the words without caring their meaning.

"Do you regret killing off the last one?" asked Ayumi quietly.

Mika stared at the book. She blinked once. "No," she replied.

Ayumi looked at her, smiling uncomfortably. "That's rather cruel."

"They're the ones who are cruel," Mika said coolly. She gazed with cold eyes at the book. "And the world is better off without them." She lifted the heavy cover and shut the book.

* * *

:D All done! Haha, I love Mika. She's so stupid, yet intelligent. Also, she gets a little creepy-sadistic in this story, but there's a reason why...that reason will also probably make a lot of you hate me. XD Lolz. 

**ANs**:  
1. "Well, it's best she learns how to read it with understanding, lest we have any more accidents..." xD Unless I get around to posting the mini series fan fiction, _The Adventures of the Mind Minions_, you won't understand this. However, once I do post it and you read the first one-shot (which makes me giggle even thinking about it), you will understand why Kurama says this...haha.  
2. I know Ollivander's supposed to be "MIA" in the sixth book, but for simplicity's sake, he's alive and well in this story.  
3. ...How the bloody hell do you write a character like Ollivander? o.O; I think I messed him up. Oh well.  
4. Aki was the last Karyuudo. The girls suddenly realize this now and to Ayumi, it suddenly is rather shocking. They never thought about the repercussions, eh:


	11. On the Train

Oh, yes, I am alive. Kinda got mauled by a six month assault of AP English homework and history notebook assignments from hell, but hey, I'm back! (Oh, and Optimus Prime has stolen my soul, but that's a whole other story.)

This chapter is so big, it's divided into two parts!

And thank you for the reviews!

**Disclaimer and Warnings**: At the beginning of the story!

* * *

- 

"Wizards must have their own form of magical crack."

"What makes you say that, Mika?"

"Well, besides the fact they eat sheep's innards, they also appear to have no respect for the laws of mathematics or physics."

"Oh. That. Yeah, they're pretty cracked."

It was beyond any of them how they had managed to survive their stay in London. They had gotten lost continually going back and forth between the Leaky Cauldron and their hotel. Mika had almost gotten arrested by the Muggle police when she took off her translator ring and began to curse vehemently at a wall (where she swore up and down that was where the bar was supposed to be) and bystanders had thought her drunk. The demons in her mind had not helped any and Kuronue's last break for freedom (over the roof tops of London) had resulted in Mika nearly spraining her ankle and the near suicide of Ayumi, who had had it up to here with "out of control demonic idiots."

Even with all of these almost-disasters plaguing their steps, the Japanese group did admit that they were having fun. When September first came around and they headed towards the train station to get aboard the Hogwarts Express, they were excited to finally reach their official destination.

Until they read the tickets.

"Platform Nine and _Three-Quarters_?" repeated Mika, staring with a deadpan expression at the tiny piece of paper in her hands.

Ayumi stood in between platforms nine and ten, her arms spread out. "Well, technically it should be here," she announced. She grinned in a pained way. "Why make something simple when you complicate it? That seems to be their motto over here."

"Grr!" Mika threw down her trunk and stamped her foot down angrily on the ground. "I hate saving the world! I quit!"

#Unfortunately, once you sign up, they don't let you just walk away.#

((It's like a mailing list.))

'…_I ask you, for the umpteenth time, why the hell you know the most random things?'_

((Uhh…I dunno?))

"What now?" Ayumi groaned.

Mika glared at her ticket. "Both say the same thing, so it can't be a typo," she said. "It has to be true."

"Then where is the stupid platform?" Ayumi cried, waving her arms around dramatically.

#Perhaps it's hidden by a spell,# Kurama commented. #They can't just leave it in the open or else a muggle may accidentally walk in.#

'_And then what do that do if that happens? Shoot them?'_

Ignoring Karasu's snickering, Kurama replied, #In any case, look for a portal, like the gateway to Reikai in the cave.#

Mika sighed and looked around where they stood. There was the wall of platform nine and then there was the wall of platform ten. There was nothing obvious standing in the middle and even when she concentrated, she could not sense anything strange.

"Can you sense anything, like a barrier?" she asked Ayumi.

"No," the other psychic replied sourly. "If there are any barriers, they hid them good."

((OOOH!)) cried Kuronue. Everyone inside Mika's mind froze at the sudden hyper exclamation.

'…_um, what?'_

((I have an idea!))

/May the gods help us all./

((I'm serious.))

:Ha. Sure you are.:

Mika rolled her eyes. _'What's your idea, Kuronue?'_

((Let me take control of you real quick,)) Kuronue began. He ignored the 'hell no' look he received from his hostess. ((We can use our powers through you, right? Well, I can sense the barrier!))

'_What? How come?'_

Kurama suddenly smiled. #That's right! I had forgotten about that power of yours, Kuronue.#

'_What power?!'_

((Here, lemme show you!))

Ayumi paused when she felt a flare of distinctive energy shift behind her. She turned and grimaced at the sight of 'Mika,' who was wearing a highly unfitting grin on 'her' face.

"Oh gods, what are you doing out?" she whined.

"I have a way to find the platform thingy!" Kuronue exclaimed cheerfully. He gently placed Mika's belongings down onto the ground and looked around excitedly. "Wow, it's really crowded out here! Look at all those…_Muggles_."

"Exactly why you need to get the hell back in there," Ayumi replied hotly. She poked him roughly in the chest. "We can't risk having these people see you pull something weird."

"But they won't notice anything."

"You just said you have a way to find the platform!"

Kuronue grinned. "'Course I do and no one will notice a thing. Promise."

Ayumi scowled darkly. "Forgive my negativity, but I can't say I'm reassured."

The bat demon frowned at her, but looked around again to make sure no one was really watching them. To Ayumi's surprise, he was surprisingly alert. He seemed serious and ready to do what was necessary—and those were characteristics that Ayumi was sure Kuronue did not usually display. It was…disturbing.

"This is where it should be, right? This portal?" Kuronue asked, staring directly at the pillar behind Ayumi.

"Uh," the psychic began unintelligently. "Yeah. Well, it makes sense that it is there."

"Hmm." Kuronue walked up to the pillar and stared at it with a severe expression. He frowned again and said, "Do you think the wizards would check for demon magic so close to one of their portals?"

"I have no idea," Ayumi replied, crossing her arms. She glared. "I know you can use your special powers through Mika when you possess her body like this, but what the hell good can you do, seriously? We don't need to fly anywhere and causing chaos really doesn't help us—!"

Kuronue interrupted her, not with words, but with his actions. He lifted his—or rather Mika's hand—and pointed it outwards toward the pillar. He opened his mouth and it formed an oval shape. At first Ayumi was going to yell at him for acting stupid in a moment of seriousness, but she was shocked to feel a rise in energy from him. It was alien and demonic to her, as she had never truly felt the bat demon use his powers, if he had any, besides his wings. Now, she realized he did in fact have powers.

The energy pattern was almost visible to her, but she was sure that no normal human would be able to see the multiple rings of lavender light emit from Mika's possessed mouth, branch out in growing size and eventually collide against the supposedly magical barrier. To her growing shock, Ayumi saw the outline of a tall and wide door appear on the barrier. The portal was there and from the looks of it, was not as solid as it appeared.

"A door," she breathed, wide eyed.

Kuronue stopped emitting the strange circular magic rings and gave her a cheerful grin. "See? From past experiences with portals like this, I can assure you that all you need to do is walk through it to get to whatever is on the other side…like that train thingy you and Mika need."

The psychic could not stop gaping at the barrier and then at Kuronue. "Echolocation…You can find hidden magic seals through echoing magic?" Ayumi asked, dumbstruck.

Kuronue smirked smugly. "How else do you think I was a master thief alongside Youko?"

Inside Mika's mind, the three demons who did not know about their flamboyant friend's powers stared in as much shock as Ayumi was. Kurama smiled.

#It is true. I was an expert about breaking magical seals…and he was good at finding them.#

'_Holy shit…I can't believe it.'_

:Believe what?:

'_Kuronue's__** not**__ worthless?'_

Kuronue's face dropped into a look of hurt and anguish, and Kurama rolled his eyes. Ignoring the cruel laughter from Hiei and Karasu, Mika pushed past Kuronue's mental image and took control of her body.

"That you?" Ayumi asked, warily.

"Yup," Mika replied, flexing her shoulders. She sighed. "Kuronue's sobbing on top of Kurama again 'cause I said he was actually not worthless."

"Damn…I never would have imagined he'd have that sort of power."

Mika smirked. "Bat man…echoes…we _could_ have guessed."

((YOU'RE ALL SO MEAN!))

/And the brief moment of intelligent poise is gone./

:Unsurprisingly.:

Mika ignored their bickering and stared at the barrier. It was still glowing and she could tell where to run at it from. She stopped and almost laughed.

"Yumi."

"What?"

"We're in the middle of London, about the save the world, and we have to run through a brick wall." Mika started to laugh. "How weird is_that_!?"

Ayumi scowled. "Yeah, it's weird. Damn it, Mika, our lives have been weird ever since you decided to follow the little glowing lights outside your bedroom window." She groaned. "And just my luck I had to be the nice friend and believe you."

"I would have committed suicide long before if you hadn't been there," Mika reminded her cheerfully.

"Gee, that makes me feel so much better."

Mika laughed and shook her head. "Okay, the barrier is just dressed up like a barrier, but really is just a doorway. Good idea, wizard people!"

/Did you really just compliment them?/

'_Yeah. Why?'_

:I was right. Stupidity is contagious.:

'_WHAT?'_

"So, now what?" Ayumi asked, picking up her trolley with her new trunk and supplies on it. "Do we knock?"

"Nah," Mika replied, also grabbing her things. "We should just go right—"

She stopped speaking when three people walked passed them and directly at the barrier. There were two small children and a harried looking mother who urged them forward. The children were dragging behind them similar trolleys with trunks and identical cauldrons. Without any hesitation, the small family ducked around both foreigners and straight through the wall, the tails of their coats disappearing into the bricks.

Mika and Ayumi both stared.

'_Did…they…just?'_

:Wizards are freaky.:

"Holy," Ayumi began, slowly becoming horrified. "Shit."

"You can say that again," Mika said, wide eyed. Western magic was seriously strange!

#Don't you remember the lost doorway we went through to get to the Reikai in the cave?#

'…_true.'_ Mika shook her head, trying to shake the shock from her senses. "Right. Well, I guess that means we just walk through it."

Ayumi whipped her entire torso around and stared at her friend in horror. "WHAT?" she nearly screamed. "You actually want to walk through the wall?!"

"That's how those people did it! And obviously they were wizards!" Mika pulled her trolley over and latched her hand on Ayumi's arm. "Come on, we only have ten minutes left before the train leaves! This isn't the best time to chicken out!" She grabbed her trolley and pushed it hard in front of her. It slid easily through the portal and out of sight. "See? Perfectly safe."

"Oh no no no!" Ayumi cried, stamping her foot and tried to pull away. "I have gone through caves and doors of radioactive light, but I refuse to go through a solid wall!"

"Tough luck!" Mika shouted back, and with a strong yank, she, Ayumi and Ayumi's trolley were sent stumbling forward through the brick…and out onto another platform.

The new platform was cleaner than the muggle one. It was larger, as well. It was full of people—families saying goodbye to their children and mothers screeching at their children for being late. Mika and Ayumi had stumbled coming through, but now stared up at the packs of wizards and the scarlet train with awe.

"Wow," Mika whispered.

:Che. Nothing special.:

_'Jeeeeeealous, much?'_

:Of_what_? Anyone can cast an incantation.:

((Anyone that's not named Mika Murasaki!))

A sour silence passed over her mind.

'_You know what? _I'm_ the action hero. _YOU'RE_ JUST THE PLEBEIAN!'_

((STOP CALLING ME THAT!))

:You think that's bad? She used to call _me_ Gaylord all the time!:

'_What do you mean _used_ to, Gaylord?'_

:RAHHHHHH!:

"Well, we have five minutes now," Ayumi said. At that moment, the train whistle blew, as if to confirm her statement. "Yikes! Let's get moving!"

They walked over to the closest entrance onto the train. Mika hopped onto the steps and held her arms out. Ayumi pushed up Mika's trunk first and then her own. Both were extremely heavy, but Mika had little trouble. She tried to make her efforts seem strained, because while it wasn't difficult for her half-ling body, she knew regular girls wouldn't be so strong. "I hate this pretending…"

"Well, I hate not pretending," Ayumi replied, exhaling as she handed her Hiki in his cage and stepped onto the train. "Geez! Those trunks are heavy. I feel so out of shape."

Mika scowled. "You should have taken the Summer Training Course from Hell. It sure helped me."

:Glad to be of assistance.:

'_Sarcasm is a foreign language to you, isn't it?'_

/Sadly, no, it isn't./

The corridors on the train were narrow, but somehow the two girls managed to drag their trunks behind them without much trouble. They peered inside the different compartment windows, surprised.

"Looks like we have to find a compartment for ourselves," Ayumi mused. She looked into another window. "They're all mostly full, though."

"We can always beat someone up for a room," Mika replied.

"No!"

Mika laughed and shook her head. "Well, we should start making friends now, then," she said. She looked inside one of the doors. "Whoo, little kids!"

"UGH," Ayumi growled.

Mika stared at her. "What are you complaining about? You're the one with a little brother."

"Yeah. All the more reason to hate little kids. They smell, make too much noise and piss me off."

/She just described the human race in general./

'_Ha, aren't you funny.'_

/I'm hilarious./

It was difficult finding a compartment without younger students. All of the British people looked the same to Mika, but she had heard the same thing said about her and her Asian friends. Now that she thought of it, Ralph was of Western decent. She saw some children who looked similar to him and it was easier to gauge their age groups.

They walked around for another few minutes but they heard the train whistle blow sharply overhead.

"Looks like we're moving," Ayumi said.

Indeed, the train began to move. Both girls swayed slightly, getting their bearings as the train chugged along slowly at first and eventually reached a constant speed. Mika smiled as she caught glimpses of the city dart in front of the windows and eventually break free into the country side. She liked trains, but she knew that now was not the best time to let her mind drift.

"Let's just find a half-empty room and sit down, never mind the occupants' protests," she announced. She grabbed her trunk and Hiki's cage, and started down the corridor. "If worse comes to worst, let's just stake out in the stupid hallway and if anyone complains, just jump 'em and steal their room."

"Sounds like a plan—Oh!" Ayumi exclaimed suddenly. She was looking inside an open compartment and looked surprised. "Harry!"

"Uh—Ayumi!"

Mika stopped jerkily and whipped her head around to stare. Inside the small room were three kids their age—a boy with red hair, a girl with brown hair and another boy with black hair—sitting on one of the benches. All three looked like normal kids, even by wizard standards. There was something off about the black haired boy, however…

/IT'S THE TARGET!/

((THERE HE IS!))

:GRAB HIM!:

Ayumi smiled brightly and waved at the three kids once she set her trunk down outside the door. "Hi!" she exclaimed. "What a surprise!"

"Hi," Harry replied, smiling back. He noticed the shell-shocked Mika. "Is that…uh, your friend you were talking about?"

Looking over her shoulder, Ayumi grabbed Mika and pushed the girl forward. "Yeah, this is Mika Murasaki. Say 'hi,' Mika," she said through clenched teeth. She smiled forcefully and her eyes clearly said, "Now!"

"Uhhhh…hello," Mika said slowly. Her eye twitched slightly, but she forced herself to smile. "Um, I'm Mika Murasaki."

"Hermione Granger," the brown haired girl said.

The redhead nodded pleasantly. "Ron Weasley," he added.

"Harry Potter," Harry said.

"I know," Mika replied immediately. She hesitated when Harry's eyes darkened. Ayumi had warned her about mentioning that. "Uh, I mean, Ayumi told me all about you guys. Yeah. Her first wizard acquaintances!"

:Ooh. Nice save.:

'_SHUT U P!'_

"Welcome to England," Hermione began with brisk friendliness. Mika suddenly saw her mother in the foreigner—all business and brains. However, from the background records Kurama had received from Koenma about the target and his immediate friends, Mika knew that this girl had a rebellious streak just like the other two. Fun. "How have things been for you so far?"

"Fine," Mika replied, honest. "We got lost a lot, but we managed."

/No need to mention the bat breaking free and trying to escape over the roof./

((Haaa, good times.))

"Hogwarts will be much easier to navigate," Hermione said, sympathetic. "I would definitely suggest reading _Hogwarts, A History_. It tells you about how to find your way around the castle and the grounds, like the moving staircases and some of the hidden passage ways—"

"—moving staircases?" Ayumi interrupted. She looked pale.

Ron nodded. "Yup. It's not too bad though. You just have to make sure you time it right."

Both Asian girls stared at him blankly. Mika nodded slowly. "Right," she murmured. She shook her head, tired. "Well, we have to find some place to place our bags, right?"

"You can sit with us, if you want," Ron offered. "Plenty of room."

Ayumi smiled brightly, recovering from her shock. "Thank you!"

They pulled in their bags and Mika reluctantly allowed Harry and Ron to put the trunks above them on the racks (_'But I can do it!' _#Normal girl, Mika, normal girl…#). Ayumi sat down next to Hermione and Mika sat down opposite of Harry, and next to Ron. The boy next to her looked normal, but his hair was strange. He seemed less intelligent than the Hermione girl did. He'd be a good place to start asking questions.

#Say, Hiei?# Kurama suddenly said. #Doesn't he look like that wizard couple we met in Diagon alley?#

/It's the hair,/ Hiei snorted.

:Freaky foreigners.:

#I have red hair too, you know.#

:It looks right on _you_. It just looks weird on Westerners.:

'_HOLY SHIT, DID YOU JUST HIT ON HIM?!'_

:WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!:

'_OHMYGOSH, I FINALLY HAVE PROOF!'_

:SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU!:

In reality, Mika smiled innocently and stared at Ron, feeling curious. He did look a bit odd with the bright red hair, but it didn't look too strange. Ron noticed the attention and stared back.

"What?" he asked, slightly uneasy.

Mika pulled back slightly, surprised. "Oh, sorry. I…" She frowned. "I think my…brother ran into your parents yesterday. You look a lot like his description."

Ron didn't seem to follow. "You mean mum and dad?" he asked. Yeah, not exactly the sharpest crayon in the box, but Mika could forgive that.

"I think so. He mentioned meeting a redheaded couple." She smiled as nicely as she could. "They were nice enough to help my brothers around and warn them about being Muggles."

"Sounds like your parents," Harry said, smiling slightly.

Ron shrugged. "I guess it was them."

"You have brothers, you say?" Hermione asked.

Ayumi shifted uneasily. "Eh, yes, Mika does, but they're not wizards," she explained carefully.

"Muggles," Mika confirmed. _'Did I use that term right?'_

((Perhaps.))

'_Don't try to sound smart. You fail at it.'_

((Well—your mom!))

'_Is a bitch. I know.'_

((…))

"So…" Mika began, leaning into her seat. "What is Hog…wartus like?"

"Hogwarts, you mean?" Hermione asked.

Both Asian girls grimaced. "Our translator rings fix everything except proper nouns, apparently," Ayumi replied, holding up her ring to show them. "Don't ever ask me to pronounce your name."

"Try it," Ron said eagerly.

Ayumi made a face. "Er…mi…oh…nay?"

"No!" Mika cried, laughing. "It's…um." She hesitated. "Shit. What was it again?"

#Hermione.#

"Her…mo…nee?" Mika tried. She wilted at Harry and Ron's laughter. Hermione smiled sympathetically.

"It's okay," the brunette said. "I suppose you'll have to get used to names as well. The culture change must be strange as well."

"Oh, yeah," Ayumi replied. She shook her head. "We nearly got attacked by this crazy guy with a fake eye when Mika made a fool of herself at the Leaky…that Leaky place."

All three wizards froze and goofy smiles appeared on their faces. Mika raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked.

"You ran into Moody," Ron stated, laughing.

"You know him?!" Mika and Ayumi both exclaimed.

Hermione nodded. "He's a famous auror—or dark wizard catcher—here. He's a little eccentric, but means well."

"Eccentric?!" Ayumi cried. She motioned with her arm. "More like crazy! He almost poked us with that stick!"

"You mean wand," Mika corrected.

"Whatever."

Hermione suddenly looked excited. "Oh! So, you got your wands?" she asked the girls.

Mika nodded. "Yup." She unzipped her jacket and from the inside, she pulled out her wand. "Don't know how to use it yet, but we sure got one each."

"Why can't we just stick to our own magic?" Ayumi complained.

Harry looked at Mika. "What magic can you do?" he asked, interested.

"Um." Mika thought quickly. Shadows were synonymous with 'dark' and 'dark' did not go so well with these wizards. "Energy."

"Energy?" Harry repeated, confused.

"You know…mental energy," Mika said. She shifted uneasily under the confused stares of the wizards. "Geez, this probably isn't translating so well."

"She has similar powers to me," Ayumi said quickly, saving her friend. "Only, she's stronger. Waaay stronger."

Mika looked surprised. "Aw, no I'm not," she began.

"Oh, really? Girl, you could beat me down in two seconds flat if we ever fought"

((That's what _she_ said!))

'_IF YOU SAY ONE MORE RETARDED THING, I'M GOING TO FEED YOU YOUR WINGS!'_

Kuronue's face dropped pitifully and the others rolled their eyes. In reality, Hermion waved her hand at the two transfers.

"Don't worry about it," she insisted. "The professors will figure something out." The other two boys nodded in agreement.

"I sure hope so," Ayumi replied, sighing.

For the next hour or so, Mika found herself listening to the three wizards talk about the school and themselves. There were "houses" at this school, which sounded more like teams. There were ghosts also, much to her displeasure. She had to make sure she did not let any of the ghosts get too close to her. She did not need more hitchhikers in her subconscious.

After a while, Mika tuned out Hermione (whom she dubbed "The Useless Information Box") and stared at Harry. He looked a little different than the picture Koenma had shown them, but not by much. There were still dark circles under his eyes—which were a stunning green color. His hair was as dark as Ayumi's was. He looked no older than Kenji looked and looked just as ordinary. But there was something special about him, according to Koenma.

_He looks so normal_, she mused to herself. The scar didn't seem to be emitting any energy. The wizards had strange auras to begin with, but Harry's was nothing special. They were like higher level psychics. She didn't know what wizard magic was going to be like, but she did not expect Harry to be out of the ordinary concerning that either. He was too normal. It made no sense to her.

#Mika.#

'_What?'_she asked, distracted.

Kurama nodded his head backwards. #I think it's time we start the mission seriously.#

'…_and how am I supposed to do that?'_ Mika asked. She wanted to scratch her head in confusion, but that would have looked odd to the wizards. _'I've never been a 'detective' before. What do we do now?'_

/A good first objective would be to scout the area and see if there are any immediate threats to the target./

'_So…I just have to look around?'_

#We could all do that.#

Mika flashed him a mental glare. _'I am not letting you guys run loose in a train! Close quarters and Batman here don't work.'_

((You can't say that.))

'_Say what?'_

((Batman.))

_'…why not?'_

((That's copyright infringement!))

"Excuse me," Mika began strongly, standing. Inside her mind, she had begun to play the _Throw The Demons Across My Brain _game again, only with Kuronue as the single contestant. "Gotta go find the ladies' room."

"Don't get lost," Ayumi joked, unaware of the game.

"That's easier said than done," Mika muttered. She bowed politely and almost laughed at Harry's horrified face. "Oh! I keep forgetting not to do that!"

"Y-you're not doing that to _me_, are you?" Harry asked, wary.

Mika stared at him and observed his uncomfortable reaction. _Geez, he really doesn't like attention._ "No, this is just a thing from my part of the world," she explained. She waved her hand instead. "Here. Is this better?"

Hermione, after glaring daggers at the back of Harry's head, nodded. "Sorry about that," she said.

"It's not big deal. I'll be right back," Mika replied.

/As usual, you screw up everything normal you attempt to do in life./

'_YOU WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING!'_

/Perhaps. But more intelligently./

Mika glared at him and Kurama sighed heavily. #Just keep moving.#

'Fine, fine…' 

There weren't many children in the corridors, so Mika walked quickly. She passed by a few more closed doors and then, she paused. She looked up and down the train corridor, frowning.

'_Hmmm…'_

#What are you looking for?#

'_The little girls' room.'_

:#/…/#:

((Say what?)) Kuronue asked, poking his head up from behind the Hill. ((Girls get a special room here?))

'_THE BATHROOM, YOU MORON!'_

((…what does that have to do with little girls?))

'…'

* * *

-

Continued in part two, coming reaaaaaally soon. I'm like, ten paragraphs away from finishing it. Give me a few more days! School has taken over my life. D:

1. Well, look at me go again…totally doing whatever I please to Kuronue's personality/abilities. XD He gets so much worse, I guarantee it.  
2. Looking back on this, I really beat up on Kuro-chan a lot. :\ Didn't mean to, really.


	12. Autumn

…AKA,_ On the Train_, Part Two. Not only do you get an insight into Ayumi's character, you get to meet a new (original) character that has a significant importance to the story and yes, it is another girl. Asian, too. Coolies! Oh, and they reach Hogwarts...FINALLY! xD

Thank you so much for the reviews!

…Malfoy's here, too. :D

**Disclaimers** and **Warnings** at the beginning!

* * *

- 

Mika sidestepped some of the few students who walked the corridors (who gave her curious stares as they passed) and continued to look around. There were plenty of compartments, which were full of chattering students, but she could not see any bathrooms. If she could hide in one and let at least one of her mind guests out, they could check to see if the train was secure. Hiei would be the best choice, considering he could scale the sides of the train like a ninja, but she didn't quite trust him not to try to slip off. Her thoughts were distracted when an obnoxiously loud voice appeared behind her when a compartment door slammed.

"…more mudbloods. I have no idea _what_ Dumbledore is thinking. He's defiling the school, letting all these dirty Muggle lovers in."

Was he talking to her? Raising an eyebrow, Mika turned her head slightly. A light blond hair colored boy was standing a few feet behind her with two larger boys to his right. She hadn't even noticed him when she had passed. He wasn't talking to her, but rather someone still hidden in the compartment he was standing in front of. The strange words he had said seemed like some foul language. Mika fingered her translator ring involuntarily. Perhaps it had translated the words wrong…?

"How dare you! You come in twice now and insult us!" shouted a new, female voice. She sounded more angry than upset. Mika suddenly was interested. The girl had an accent she was used to, obviously Asian.

"Who asked you, foreigner?" sneered the blond boy.

Mika observed in mild interest as the two strangers shouted at each other. The girl was ranting about harassment. The boy was continually using the word "mudblood," which was still not computing for Mika.

'_What does that mean?'_

#I have no idea.#

:Wow. That's a first.:

#I'll pretend that was a compliment.#

:Go ahead.:

'_Seriously! What does mudblood mean—?'_ Mika's internal question was cut off when she heard a violent crashing sound. Whirling back to reality, she saw the blond boy sprawled out on the floor, a small suitcase entangled with his legs. His two large companions blinked in confusion before they attempted to help their apparent leader up. Mika blinked at the sudden action. '_Whoa.'_

((Finally! Violence!))

At the compartment door appeared a very angry looking woman. Nicely figured and fully mature, she had eyes similar to Mika and Ayumi, but had a shocking head of vibrant, red hair. It wasn't too much unlike that Ron kid's hair, but hers was slightly darker. This new woman glared down at the sputtering boy.

"You_ gaijin_ think so highly of yourselves! Shame on you! Neither I or these children have done you wrong!" she exclaimed. "You wish to take these 'points' away from us, then so be it! I am going to report you to head of the school and see you properly punished!"

The blond boy was not amused and turned several shades of pink (which Mika and her guests had fun counting). "Do you know _who_ I _am_, you—you mudblo—!?" His angry sputtering was cut off when Mika coughed loudly. All heads swirled around to her.

"She doesn't and I don't either, but I'll tell you I wouldn't give a damn either way," Mika said calmly. She crossed her arms and gave him a cold look. "I will be nice and give you a fair warning: do not bug the underdogs. You know why?" Mika gave him a friendly grin that made him turn yet another shade of angry red. "I side with the underdogs and I am the one person you will regret messing with."

/Are you trying to sound tough or do you like making an ass of yourself in front of foreigners?/

:I'd wager she likes doing both.:

'_Hey, I'm supposed to be the damn super hero here. I'm playing the part!'_

The blonde stood, his rage clearly visible through body language. The two cronies got the hint and took on fighting stances. The blonde pointed his finger at Mika. "I will tell my father about this," he swore. "And I will see you two foreign squints get expelled."

Mika stared at him and raised an eyebrow. "Lemme tell you something first, kid," she began calmly. "In order for us to be expelled, we'd have to have attacked you on school grounds—"

"—this is Hogwarts property!" howled the boy.

"—and even if that went through to your superiors, you have to realize it's two defenseless damsels in distress who 'affronted' you, so I think they'd side with us—"

"—do you even know who I am?!"

"NO." Mika glared at him. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to interrupt someone who was talking first? And telling your _father_? What are you, _three_? Seriously! Daddy's not always gonna bail you outta trouble, punk, so it's best you grow up now before you really make an ass outta yourself."

The boy took a step forward, clearly pushed to his limits of restraint. Mika unfolded her arms and held them open with a taunting smile.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked. "Hit a girl?"

He reached into his pocket and Mika tensed. However, instead of a gun or something threatening, he pulled out something that was becoming uncomfortably familiar:

((STICK!))

Mika screamed when a blast of light shot out from the wand in the boy's hand after he shouted something the translator ring did not translate. It hit the ceiling harmlessly and Mika whipped around, alert. Her eyes flashed dangerously and subconsciously, she was already slipping into battle mode, thanks to her abusive summer training. She knew she couldn't just attack the boy with demonic powers and she certainly did not know any magic spells yet. Perhaps she could just whoop his scrawny hide the good ol' fashion way, with fists and a well placed kick between the legs…

"_EXPELLIARMUS_!"

The boy cried out in shock before he was sent gracelessly head over heels onto the carpeted floor by a blue flash of light. Looking up, Mika saw the red-haired Asian standing above him, her own wand poised dangerously.

"Get out," she said coldly, glaring at the dumbfounded British child. "Before I get angry."

Whatever the blond haired boy was about to say (and Mika doubted it was going to be pleasant) was cut off when his own to goonies came up and helped him up. They seemed more afraid of the girls than they did of the blond haired boy, who looked positively livid. However, the boy did seem to take the hint and lost his former bravado, replacing it with passive anger.

"You will regret this," he hissed angrily. He swung around, his black school cape swinging dramatically as he marched past the amused Mika, his goons in tow.

'_Why do the villains always say things like that?'_

#I don't know.#

"Are you alright?"

At the sound of the new voice, Mika turned. The redheaded Asian girl smiled at her. Mika laughed.

"I'm okay," she said, brushing off her jeans for effect. "Just caught me off guard. What a creep, huh?"

"He insisted on barging in here and insult me and these little ones," the other girl said, motioning towards the door. Inside, Mika could see at least three tiny first years staring back at her in utter shock. The redhead frowned deeply. "Mother told me many times to respect the customs of _gaijin_, but I refuse to tolerate rudeness."

Mika smirked. "Same here." She bowed respectfully, secretly happy she could indulge in her culture's habits once more. "Murasaki Mika. I appreciated the help."

"Niwa Autumn," replied the redhead as she bowed back. At Mika's surprised face, Autumn smiled brightly. "Mother was Scottish. That's where this color," she said as she jokingly flipped her red hair, "comes from. Mother met father in Taiwan on a business trip. He was Japanese."

"That's cool!" Mika commented. "Is that why you speak English so well?"

"Not really. We spoke Japanese at home. I only learned English four years ago."

"Wait," Mika said, confused. "How did you come here, then?"

Autumn laughed. The sound was very pleasant. "We moved to England last year because of Mother's health," she explained. "I only got my letter earlier this summer. To think, a magic school!"

Mika grinned. "Yeah, freaky, huh?"

"So, you are transferring in as well?" Autumn asked, politely interested.

"Yup. I probably got my letter about the same time you did."

Autumn frowned again. "So strange…why did they not contact us at age eleven like everyone else?"

"Maybe we weren't in their jurisdiction," Mika murmured, thinking darkly about a particular diapered prince. "It would make sense if you came to England and they picked up on you then."

"Mmm, you may be right," Autumn agreed. "I just hope I can keep up with our grade level."

"Yeah," Mika said. She smiled suddenly. "I met a girl earlier who said she'd help me and my friend with catching up. Maybe she can help you as well."

Autumn seemed pleased by this. "Really?" she exclaimed. She clasped her hands together. "That would be very nice! I have studied some spells, but I do not know if that is enough."

"You can do more than I can do," Mika replied, grinning. Inwardly, she was uncomfortable. She really had to do some serious studying. She couldn't even really pronounce half of the spells in her books!

#We can help you as well.#

:Yeah, because we're totally wizards.:

_'I'll stick to the people who actually know what they're doing, thanks.'_

((Come on, it's just a stick. Stab someone with it or wave it around until they explode.))

'_Gee. Thanks. I'll remember that._' Mika refrained from rolling her eyes in reality and smiled at Autumn. "Would you like to go meet that girl now? I should be heading back anyway."

Autumn nodded enthusiastically. "It would be very kind of you to introduce us," she said happily. She suddenly looked surprised. "Oh…" She turned to the compartment and at the three first years. "Thank you all very much for allowing me to share your compartment with me." She bowed deeply, not seeming to notice the three eleven year olds' confusion. One of them waved and Autumn humored her and waved back, smiling. Mika immediately liked this girl.

Mika laughed and waved at the smaller kids. "Come on, let's go," she said. Both teenagers started off down the hallway.

Inside her mind, Kurama cleared his throat. #Um, Mika?#

'_Yeah?'_

#As much as it's nice that you're making friends so quickly…but did you forget the purpose of you walking around in the first place?#

'_Um…'_ Mika bit her lip as she thought_. 'Um…'_

/We were going to do some scouting./

:Starting in the bathroom.:

((The little girls' room!))

Mika stopped in mid-stride. _'SHIT!_' She heard Autumn stop behind her.

"Is there something wrong, Murasaki-san?" Autumn asked, curious.

"Uhh…" Mika tried to think quickly. "I was, uh, kinda looking for the bathroom in the first place. That blond haired kid distracted me."

"Oh! I think we just passed it. I'll wait for you."

Mika mentally groaned at her poor luck. She couldn't leave Autumn waiting for that long, after she had just invited the girl with her! Karasu grinned maliciously.

:See? This is what you get for being nice.:

((Manners kill!))

"You know what? I'm okay now," Mika said. She smiled tiredly. "Let's go find my compartment for now."

"Are you sure?" Autumn asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Let's go…"

#Mika…!#

_'IS IT SO IMPOSSIBLE THAT I WANT TO BE A NORMAL, SOCIALIZING PERSON FOR FIVE MINUTES?!'_

:Yeah, fox. She's just going to scare the kid away in another minute.:

_'ARGH. SHUT UP.'_

They reached Mika's original compartment within a few minutes. Ayumi was keeping the British children entertained with some sort of joke, but once she listened in, Mika frowned.

"So, all I see is her running back towards me, freaked out as anything. Apparently, when she went to kiss this kid, she had this nervous break down and totally left the kid hanging—"

"HEY!" the said brunette shouted, slammed the door open. Harry and his friends stopped, shocked, and Ayumi dropped a strange orange object that had been in her hand. "I HEARD THAT!"

Ayumi scowled at her and picked up the orange object. "Geez, could you be any less mannerly, Mika?"

"No, and that story isn't funny!" she cried, her cheeks turning bright red in embarrassment. "Don't go telling random people embarrassing stories like—!"

The orange object collided with her head and she yelped, falling backwards. Autumn dodged and stared helplessly at the fallen younger girl who did not move from the carpeted corridor floor. Ayumi burst out laughing, surprisingly in sync with Karasu and Hiei in Mika's mind.

:What was that?!:

/Taken out by some human implement. How unsurprising./

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Mika demanded, sitting straight up, angry.

"A Pumpkin Pastry?" Ron offered, his eyes wide with fear.

"Honestly!" Hermione cried. She stood and helped Mika up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Mika said, glaring past the British teenager and at the snickering Ayumi. "Except now I need a new best friend."

"Aw, I was just playing," Ayumi said. She suddenly stopped, noticing something behind Mika. "Uhh…who's that?"

Autumn stood up straight and clapped her hands together nervously. "I-I am Niwa Autumn," she said, bowing deeply once. "Murasaki-san was kind enough to invite me back with her."

Ayumi brightened. "_Konnichiwa_," she said, bowing her head.

Harry groaned from his spot. "Do you guys have to do that all the time?" he asked meekly.

"Harry!" warned Hermione. "It's part of their heritage!"

"We can refrain from it, right, guys?" Mika asked, looking at Autumn and Ayumi, who both nodded.

"I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable," Autumn said, frowning.

"Nah, it's just…" Harry shrugged.

Mika smiled. "This is Hari Pott-ur," she said, wincing. She quickly moved on to the other British teens. "Ron Weesrii and Her-mo-ee…" She stopped and let her arms drop pathetically. "You know what? Just forget it."

The others laughed and Mika just sat down next to Ayumi. She motioned for Autumn to come in and the fellow Asian followed. She sat down properly and smiled at the others across from them.

"Thank you for sharing your compartment with me," she said.

"It's no big deal," Ron said. He grinned.

Hermione pursed her lips for some reason and then diverted her attentions back towards Mika. "So, are you are that boy Takei was talking about a couple?" Hermione asked, smiling. Mika shifted uneasily, but took heart that this was another female talking to her.

"Uh…sorta. We still have to work out the kinks a bit." Like jealous head voices, for example.

"You guys are leaving a whole life behind, just to go here," Harry said. He sounded uncomfortable. "That…stinks."

"Yeah, but we'll be going home in the summer," Ayumi replied, grinning. She sat back and flung her arm around Mika's shoulders for effect. "Plus, who would give up on the chance to go to the, quote un-quote, best wizarding school in the world? Our teacher at home can teach us some stuff, but not everything."

"We're expanding our horizons," Mika chirped.

"I just wish to excel in this part of my heritage," Autumn added quietly. The others turned to her in surprise. She smiled softly. "Mother was not happy with my choice to come here, but father supported me."

"You excited, then?" Ayumi asked her.

"Yes, very much so."

Ron smiled back. "We'll help you out in you need some assistance," he said, leaning over slightly. Hermione frowned at his overly helpful attitude, but it went unnoticed by the young man.

"So," Mika began, laughing, "tell us more about this Hogwarts place. What else should we know before going there?"

"Do you three know about Quidditch yet?" Harry asked, brightening up.

The three Asian girls hesitated opposite of him. "Quid…ditch?" Autumn repeated, unsure. "What is that?"

Both Ron and Harry grinned. That look was a familiar one worn by the boys back home when they began talking about the newest video game or the outcome of a baseball game. Like many of the girls back home, Hermione groaned half-heartedly, as she obviously must have endured the ranting about this Quidditch thing many times before. Mika mimicked that action internally, knowing that the remainder of the trip was going to be a long ride. She smiled despite that knowledge and listened to the two boys explain.

**& & &**

It took another hour of slightly interesting chatter before it was time to get dressed. Mika had not worn a uniform to school in three years; her junior and senior highs did not require a uniform, unlike other schools near her home. She had enjoyed this freedom, but now she had to wear the Hogwarts uniform. She and the other three girls booted the boys out to change (and Mika threw the four demons into her memory room for the time being.) After a short hassle, they were all ready.

"I'm nervous," Ayumi muttered, sitting next to her friend again. She had taken a great deal of interest in this so-called broom sport that Harry and Ron had described, but all of her glee had disappeared once they got dressed and sat back down. It was very dark outside and all Mika could see were trees.

"Don't be," the half-demon assured her.

"How can you be so sure?"

"My brain tells me."

"And the men inside it?" Ayumi asked, smirking.

"Sure, Ayumi, why not?" Mika asked sarcastically.

:I've noticed that you never consider us real people whenever we're in here.:

'You're a disembodied voice emanating from my mind. I think I have the right to label you real or not-real at my leisure.'

They pulled into the station a few minutes later. It was still very dark, but there were some lanterns that helped them find their ways off the train and onto a platform. Mika had planned on tailing Harry, but he disappeared into the crowd.

"Where do we go now?" Ayumi asked. She had been put off already when they were told not to take their luggage with them. "If they look through our stuff without us there, they could find the Demon Bible. We'd be accused of using dark magic."

"Dude, these guys are _witches_," Mika said, rolling their eyes as they followed a group of small students to one end of the platform. "Dark should be normal to them."

"FIRS' YEARS! C'mon, follow me! Firs' years over here! Keep up!"

Mika and Ayumi both froze in their steps at the same time and looked up at the source of the booming accented voice. A large man with an overwhelming beard was directing all the tiny students towards a path that seemed to lead away from the other students.

'_OVERLY LARGE MAN! AN OGRE OR SOMETHING!'_

((MAYDAY!)) Kuronue cried. The other dark haired demons glared at him.

#It's not a demon,# Kurama tried to say.

'_No, it's just an enormous guy!'_

"Gods, this place is so weird," Ayumi muttered. She shuddered and motioned with her thumb. "Looks like the first year students go that way."

"Does that include us?" Mika asked.

#Well, you might as well go with them. Perhaps there is some sort of orientation you will have to attend.#

_'Argh, I hate orientation.'_

:Would you rather walk around like an idiot knowing nothing?:

/Oh wait, she already does that./

'_Is it just me or have you two been teaming up a lot lately?_' Mika asked darkly, shooting Karasu and Hiei a look.

Hiei sneered back at her. /It's just more amusing to torment you with more than one insult-er./

_'Aw, I'm so happy for both of you. When's the wedding?'_

:I SWEAR WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!:

_'I'm gonna die anyway relatively soon if you guys don't stop distracting me with your bitching.'_

#Touché.#

"Let's just go," Ayumi said, walking off after the first years.

Mika shrugged and followed her. "Your guess is as good as mine," she said.

They hobbled over the stones on the ground, but caught up easily. The large man kept calling for new students and Mika had an urge to ask him if he was really part ogre. He almost looked like Koenma's assistant, George, but with more hair.

Mika stopped walking when she saw where they were going. There was a dock with at least a dozen boats. The large man stopped and said, "Now, no more'n four to a boat! Quickly now!"

Smiling, Mika started walking. She always had liked boat rides. Heck, anything to get out of her house she enjoyed. Then, she noticed Ayumi, who had been walking in front of her, had stopped. A violent shout from her made Mika jump.

"NO!" Ayumi shouted, pushing backward into Mika. "NO!"

"What's wrong?!" Mika shouted back, getting embarrassed and annoyed at her friend's action. It was just a boat!

"I—I am not getting in…in _that_!" Ayumi declared. Mika stopped and could smell fear radiating off of the psychic.

_She's afraid of boats?_ Mika wondered. "Yumi, are you afraid of taking a boat?" she asked, suddenly calm. She didn't want to upset the other girl any further.

Ayumi shook her head violently. "No!" she cried, her voice shaking. She was physically shaking as well. "Just…just…!"

#The water?# Kurama asked, surprised. He and the others had been listening.

_'…OH.'_

/Are you telling me you didn't know about this before?/

Mika withdrew slightly, unnerved and…hurt. Ayumi had never told her about this. They had gone swimming plenty of times before. Then again, there had never been any moment where the girls had gone in open water. They had never really gone swimming in the ocean either.

"Are you afraid of water?" she finally asked. She pulled herself and her friend away from the staring crowd and under the cover of one of the trees. She kept her voice quiet. "Yumi, you never told me."

"I…it's embarrassing," Ayumi replied, bitter. She looked away, breathing unevenly. She did not look her friend in the eye. "It's…freaking ridiculous."

"No, it's not," Mika said quickly. She crossed her arms against her chest. "Yumi, come on. I'm your best friend. What was I going to do, abandon you because you're afraid of something?"

"It's so _human_."

Mika stopped. Staring at Ayumi intently, she thought over what she just said. _Human?_ She echoed. Something cold clenched in her stomach as that bitter irony echoed within her. _She was too afraid to admit being afraid because…she thought it was too _human?

"Listen," she began strongly, brushing aside her feelings. She grinned comfortingly. "Yumi, it doesn't matter if you're afraid of stuff. I'm terrified of a lot of things."

"Like?" Ayumi asked, still bitter.

"Algebra tests. I fail all of them."

Ayumi rolled her eyes. "Mika!"

"Seriously! I'm also terrified of totally blowing my cover here by acting retarded, or letting these morons do something along those lines. I'm also afraid to kill a person, even in a fight. See?"

Sighing heavily, Ayumi looked away. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, which had been watering uncharacteristically. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Don't be!" Mika cried. She gently patted Ayumi's arm and smiled. "Now, let's get on those boats, get in that school and do our jobs…as students!"

Ayumi laughed and hugged Mika. "Thanks, kiddo," she said. She patted Mika's arm and nodded forcefully. "You're right. Gotta man it up and get moving."

"Exactly." Mika gently pulled Ayumi back towards the docks. Most of the boats were already filled, but with her slightly advanced night vision, Mika easily spotted a familiar face.

"Niwa!" Mika shouted. She stepped towards one of the remaining boats and grinned down at Autumn.

"Ah, Murasaki-san, Takei-san," Autumn exclaimed. She moved over in her seat and motioned for them. "I wondered where you went."

"Just a bit excited," Mika said. She sat down in the boat and was pleased by the sturdy structure of it. She looked back up at the land and smiled at the fidgeting Ayumi. "Sit in between me and Autumn, Yumi. You won't fall in."

"Guh…" Ayumi bit her lip and in a half-run, half-leap, she climbed into the boat. She yelped loudly when it rocked and clung to Mika's arm.

'_Aww, she's so scared!'_

Hiei smirked darkly. /Now, I know her weakness!/

_'…wow, that was only slightly creepy.'_

/Heh./

The boats started out automatically when the last seat was filled. Ayumi's grip never wavered as they floated through the vine-covered trees, which dominated the area. An owl hooted overhead and Mika could smell a variety of different creatures in the area, which made her anxious to check out that forest. It was difficult to see in the dim lighting and Mika peered out anxiously into the foggy air. The whole area smelt like magic and wet earth. Her heart pounded as her nervousness increased.

Then, the vines lifted up high into the trees. Mika leaned forward slightly, ignoring the whimper from Ayumi, and hungrily stared out into the lake. The fog still hovered at just boat height, but a new shape took total domination over the landscape; a massive castle loomed overhead. There must have been hundreds of brightly-lit windows, the full moon above them casting dark shadows over the towers and stone architecture of the castle. Mika let her jaw drop gracelessly as the massive image was seared into her mind.

_'Guys...I think the difficulty scale of this mission has just doubled.' _

:No kidding.:

((It doesn't look so bad...))

/For a seven story castle./

#Oh, boy.#

-

* * *

I torture these poor fellows, don't I? At least Autumn's finally here! She's a fun character and refreshingly polite compared to Ayumi and Mika, huh? Lolz. I actually like her. Nice change of pace... 

**ANs**:  
1. Any direct questions about Autumn will be ignored. She is _very_important later in the story, but _not_ for the reason many will speculate. : I will tell you these facts: She lived in Taiwan for about six years, moved to England a few months ago and received her letter then. She has influence in magic, but knows no Western magic, like Mika and Ayumi. She learned English herself, so it's kinda choppy on occasion and she uses all the nice-ities. I love her name, actually. So pretty.  
2. Remember, in Japanese and most Asian cultures, the last name is said first.  
3._Gaijin_ means "foreigner."  
4. Autumn's allowed to say "-san" because she does not have the translator rings (AKA she didn't cheat XD). Sometimes she'll slip into Engrish, but hey, learning a new language can be hard!

There are many plot-twists ahead. Be prepared for "WTF" moments. XD

Please note that there will be another delay in between this chapter and the next. I never seem to have any time for myself anymore and writing seems to have taken the back seat. :( I'll work when I can. Sorry, guys!


	13. THE END

**THE END**

Please go to the link given on my profile and read what I've written at livejournal.

Sorry, guys.

-AD


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